MEAT4FUTURE

Objective

The MEAT4FUTURE project has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impacts associated with meat production, particularly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water use. It therefore helps to address the challenge under which the project is framed: promoting the applications of green biotechnology and other innovative solutions for healthy and sustainable food, such as novel foods and new sources of protein.

The MEAT4FUTURE project aims to offer companies in the Comunitat Valenciana new knowledge, methodologies and innovative technologies required for the development of in vitro meat. This will make it possible to provide services and support to companies in the region, enabling these services to be integrated into their innovation processes.

Activities

Cellular ingredient: focus on the safety and reproducibility of the methodology for obtaining it.
Support ingredient: research into the use of novel ingredients and preliminary characterisation.
Study of the proliferation and differentiation processes of mammalian cell lines to obtain in vitro meat in a bioreactor.
Study to obtain preliminary cultured meat prototypes using model materials
Study of the regulatory framework related to cell-cultured meat.
Technology transfer
Dissemination and communication.
Management and coordination.

Results

Validation of the safety and reproducibility of bovine cell cultures, confirming the absence of contaminants in antibiotic-free subcultures and the need for individualised assessment to ensure their differentiation potential.
Development and validation of edible scaffolds based on alternative proteins, both plant-based and microbial, demonstrating improvements in juiciness, texture and perception of meaty odour after cell growth incorporation and cooking.
Definition of cell expansion and handling strategies focused on industrial efficiency and scalability, improving productivity, operational robustness and process reproducibility.
Optimisation of bioreactor design and operation through CFD simulations, identifying improvements in mixing, oxygenation and process homogeneity, which are particularly relevant for sensitive cell cultures.
Validation of product prototypes and hybrid formulations, demonstrating technological advantages over 100% plant-based matrices in terms of compaction, cohesion and integrity after cooking, and confirming the viability of cultured meat as a functional ingredient.