ALTERNATIVE CULTURE MEDIUM FOR CULTIVATED MEAT: APPLICATION OF PROTEIN HYDROLYSATES AND RECOMBINANT PROTEIN

• Grant number: 24/12776-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Rosana Goldbeck Coelho
• Grantee: Bárbara Flaibam
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/05731-2 - BEYOND: establishing a fungal cell factory for recombinant protein production, AP.TEM

Abstract

The development of technologies addressing the replication of an ideal environment for cell growth under controlled conditions is pivotal for cultivated meat production. Currently, animal cell cultivation in laboratories requires formulations containing significant amounts of essential nutrients for cell growth. However, most ingredients are not produced at scales consistent with food production and are costly, thereby inflating basal culture media costs. Additionally, fetal bovine serum has been widely used as a supplement in these media, the replacement of which is crucial to economically and ethically enable cultivated meat production and commercialization in the coming years. Therefore, this doctoral project aims to develop an alternative culture medium utilizing protein hydrolysates and recombinant protein. The approach for obtaining protein hydrolysates will utilize non-animal agro-industrial residues as substrates, aiming to reduce costs and sustainably utilize waste. Furthermore, protein hydrolysates have emerged as sources of low molecular weight amino acids and peptides for in vitro animal cell culture. Precision fermentation using Komagataella phaffii will be explored as an expression platform for recombinant albumin production. Consequently, the produced hydrolysates and recombinant albumin will be characterized, analyzed, and applied in animal cell culture. Building on this foundation, the project seeks to optimize the formulation of a low-cost alternative culture medium tailored to specific cell types for cultivated meat, combining hydrolysates and recombinant protein. Finally, the economic feasibility of the alternative culture medium will be assessed, establishing scenarios related to its production capacity.