Scientists Create ‘Game-Changing’ Cultivated Meat Tech That Could Feed Astronauts in Space

University of Edinburgh scientists have developed a pig fat cell line that promises efficient, scalable and consistent cultivated meat production, with the potential of going past the exosphere.

Could astronauts enjoy a cultivated bacon breakfast in space?

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute are working to make that a reality, having developed a technology that could solve some major obstacles for cultivated meat production.

They have created a source of fat cells from pigs with what they claim is a “rare combination of reliable and stable cell growth”, potentially enabling large-scale manufacturing of cultivated pork without the need for genetic modification (a key requirement for regulators in markets like the EU and New Zealand).

Presenting their findings in the NPJ Science of Food journal, the scientists said this novel cell line – dubbed FaTTy – can efficiently produce fat tissue with remarkable consistency, making it a “very attractive, potentially game-changing resource for food manufacturing, and particularly cultivated meat”.

The team looked at growing stem cells derived from five piglets, and discovered that one of them was able to reproduce virtually indefinitely, without the need for any gene editing.

How the new cells can supercharge cultivated fat production

“Fat is the primary driver of flavour in meat, influencing taste, aroma, and mouthfeel. Of the main components of meat – muscle, fat, and connective tissue – fat has the most significant culinary impact,” Maarten Bosch, CEO of Dutch cultivated beef producer Mosa Meat, told Green Queen earlier this year. The company has filed for approval for its fat ingredient in the EU and Switzerland.

“Consumers won’t eat food that isn’t absolutely delicious, which is why we chose to pursue a fat-first approach,” explained Eitan Fischer, CEO of cultivated pork startup Mission Barns, which is now approved to sell in the US. “Not only is fat the main driver of flavour and juiciness, but it is also less costly and faster to produce than lean meat.”

Cultivated fat is the key to scaling up cultivated meat in a cost-efficient manner, which is perhaps the industry’s biggest bottleneck. In the study, the researchers explain that most animal stem cells lose the ability to reliably produce fat cells quickly. While they can double in population every 20 to 24 hours for the first 30 to 40 days, they gradually slow down.

On the other hand, The FaTTy cells, which are formed from early-stage stem cells, can grow indefinitely. According to the scientists, they are immortalised after reaching 60 doubling cycles (equal to 57 days in culture). These cells have maintained an adipogenic efficiency – how effectively they can differentiate into fat cells – of nearly 100% for over 200 doubling cycles.

They’re able to differentiate at this high efficiency in both 2D and 3D contexts, and produce fat that closely resembles native pig fat in composition, with slightly higher levels of healthier monounsaturated fats and lower saturated fat.

“We didn’t simply develop a tool, we made a very special discovery,” said Tom Thrower, lead researcher at the Roslin Institute. “The fact that these cells not only grow indefinitely but also retain their ability to become fat at such high efficiency is something we have never seen before in livestock stem cells. It opens the door to new possibilities in cultivated meat and beyond.”

Future foods attracting interest for space applications

Prof F Xavier Donadeu, the principal investigator, said the cells “have the potential to be a game-changer by helping to produce cultivated meat that feels and tastes like traditional meat, whilst being environmentally and ethically sustainable in the longer term”.

“Future applications could include feeding astronauts in space,” he added. Interest in future-friendly food for space is growing rapidly. Last month, scientists at Imperial College London and Cranfield University launched a fully automated miniature microbe lab into space, containing yeast to produce edible proteins via precision fermentation outside Earth.

The project aims to find a way to produce food and other bio-derived products in space for astronauts and involves Frontier Space, Atmos Space Cargo, and the European Space Agency, which has previously supported two projects to grow cultivated meat in space.

In the US, NASA has been conducting experiments on cultivated meat since 2001. And SpaceX has worked with cultivated meat firm Aleph Farms to conduct experiments on microgravity’s effects on muscle tissue growth, using beef cells harvested by the Israeli startup. The Israeli startup has also grown cell-cultured beef on the International Space Station, nearly 400km away from any natural resources.

Back on Earth, Roslin Institute is readying its cell line for commercial applications. “We already have considerable interest from companies looking to work with us on this proprietary technology,” said Susan Bodie, head of business development for the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at Edinburgh Innovation.

“Tools like this may help introduce fat cells to improve taste and realism of meat grown in labs in both an ethical and reliable way.”