Aleph Farms, the first cultivated meat company to grow steaks directly from non-genetically engineered animal cells and WACKER, a supplier of leading protein production technologies, have announced the development of streamlined production processes for essential growth medium proteins to cost-effectively grow cultivated meat. These proteins, central to promoting and supporting cell growth, are not widely available in the market today and represent one of the most prohibitive expenses in scaling up cultivated meat. The agreement between WACKER and Aleph Farms is non-exclusive, meaning any cultivated meat company will be able to obtain these same affordable proteins, without using fetal bovine serum (FBS) or animal-derived ingredients. This open supply chain solution is expected to enable the industry to scale and achieve price-parity faster, eliminating a key hurdle in the commercial viability of cultivated meat.
"Bringing down the cost and making suitable raw materials available at this key moment in the scale-up of production is imperative to taking cultivated meat mainstream and driving impact,” said Didier Toubia, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms. "Investing in the development of a supply chain solution available to the entire industry is a direct result of our innovative and inclusive business model and the impetus behind our partnership with WACKER. Our team’s scientific expertise alongside WACKER’s vast experience, makes it possible to produce proteins at the quantity, quality and cost necessary to meet Aleph’s aggressive goal of achieving cost-parity with conventional meat."