Solving environmental, food, and animal welfare issues with cultured meat technology

To talk about him, you have to start with important issues like climate change, the food crisis, and animal welfare. This is because he is taking on the challenge of solving these global problems. 

By 2050, the world's population will reach 9.8 billion people. As the world's population grows, so does meat consumption. Corporate animal farms are a response to this, but they are causing many problems, including animal welfare. 

First of all, the “bang for the buck” is not good. It takes 2.7 kilograms of feed to produce 450 grams of beef. The amount of meat produced by slaughter is small compared to the amount of feed. In 2006, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reported that 18 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions come from corporate animal farming systems. That's more than all cars, ships, trains, and airplanes combined. In the book The Birth of Meat Without Death (2021), the authors argue that we need to reduce meat consumption to make the planet more sustainable. 

Alternative and cultured meats are two ways to do this. Alternative meats are meat analogs made from non-animal sources, such as plants, algae, and mushrooms. Cultured meat is simply meat made from cultured animal cells. He is challenging the cultured meat market. The main character is Han Won-il, CEO of Tissen Biofarm. 

                                               photo: GettyImageBank

 

Researching artificial organs and challenging the cultured meat market

Han is a doctor of tissue engineering who studied artificial organs at POSTECH in Korea. While researching artificial organs, he became interested in the field of cultured meat. When asked by a reporter, “Why did you suddenly challenge the cell culture meat market?” he laughed, saying, “I thought it was important to solve the problem of food and livelihood first.” “It seems that human survival or food crisis is near, and I thought it was more important to solve these problems,” he said, adding, “I thought I could do anything after solving the problem of food and livelihood.” 

In South Korea, alternative meat startups once gained attention, but they were criticized for failing to popularize. “In the end, the dominant opinion is that it is difficult to realize the taste and texture of meat produced through animal agriculture,” he said, emphasizing that cultured meat can become real meat, biologically equivalent to conventional meat. 

Since cultured meat is made by harvesting animal cells and culturing them to make meat, it is possible to recreate the taste, texture, and flavor of meat. However, it is expensive and time-consuming. “We are challenging beef chunk cultured meat, and we believe that we have reached 60% of the completion level that can be marketed,” said Han, adding that he is confident that they have the technology and patents to solve the problems of money and time. 

Thyssen Biofarm has adopted a different production method than its competitors. In order to solve production problems such as meat texture and marbling, a substance developed in-house called edible bioink plays an important role. “With the edible bioink we developed, we can realize a customized texture similar to real meat,” explains Han. 

Until now, cultured meat has been made by taking tissue from animals, growing it in an incubator, and attaching it to a scaffold (support). Thyssen Biofarm mixes bioink with cells to create bioink with cells. It then creates and cultures the microfibers and binds them together to form beef chunks. It takes about four weeks to collect the tissue from the animal and make the microfiber meat. It takes less than an hour to aggregate the microfibers into chunks. “It seems to take a long time,” said Han, “but with mass production, there is no need to reduce the time it takes to combine the microfiber meat into a chunk.” 

Another reason why Thyssen Biopharm is attracting attention is that it has solved the cost issue. It has developed a technology that can replace bovine fetal bovine serum (FBS) used in conventional cell culture at one-twentieth of the cost. “We can produce a kilogram (kg) of beef cultured meat, which is biologically similar to meat, for about $10 (KRW13,600 ),” said Han. “If you make cultured meat with cells from 2 to 3 grams of tissue removed from a cow, you can mathematically produce 100 tons of cultured meat,” he added. 

Attracting 7.7 billion won in investment in just two years

Thyssen Biopharm's technology was recognized as the winner of the cultured meat category at the World Cell-based Innovation Awards held in November last year. In Korea, the company has also been recognized as a powerhouse in the cultured meat market, winning the grand prize at the Postech Technology Startup Competition and the top prize at the Global Innovator Festa in Korea. “At the end of 2021, we won the grand prize at the ‘Joint Startup Competition of Science and Technology Specialized Universities,’ which is very memorable because we were able to promote Thyssen Biopharm with just an idea,” Han said. 

Investors are also keeping an eye on Thyssen Biopharm. Since its inception, Thyssen Biopharma has attracted 7.72 billion won in investment. Investors such as Mirae Science & Technology Holdings, Futureplay, Stone Bridge Ventures, Murex Partners, and Samsung Wellstory have invested in the company. Food companies such as Nongshim are also preparing for the cultured meat market by partnering with Thyssen Biofarm. “We are preparing to attract Series A investment, which will be used to create a manufacturing base such as a culture facility,” said Han, explaining, “By the first half of 2025, we will be able to finalize the technology development for beef cultured meat production to the expected level.” 

Han plans to start popularizing cultured meat in earnest with tastings later this year or next March. They want to show consumers that 'cultured meat is delicious and safe' with the confidence that they have solved the time and money problem. “I didn't realize it when I was studying in the lab, but business is difficult,” Han said, “We will open the door to the cultured meat market with good talents such as chief strategy officer Ra Yeon Joo, who graduated from Oxford University.” 

Cultured meat has already been approved for production and sale in Singapore, which became the first country in the world to do so in 2020, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the private sale of cell-cultured chicken in June last year. Related companies in Australia, one of the world's largest meat exporters, are also actively conducting research and development in the field. Governments in the U.S., Europe, Singapore, and the Middle East, including South Korea, are also rolling out policies to support cultured meat. The United Nations predicts that cultured meat will account for 35% of the total meat market in 2040 (about KRW 829 trillion). The market for cultured meat is fiercely competitive. 

Resource : Economist, 2024. 5. 27