The Scaling-Up of Lab-Grown Meat Production: A Critical Analysis of Nutritional Profiling, Challenges, and Ethical Implications.

Abstract

The production of cultured meat through Food Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering has revolutionized global sustainability trends as an alternative to conventional meat. This emerging technology aims to enhance production yield and nutritional value by acquiring cell lines, followed by the engineering and expansion of these tissues in a specific medium. However, this development is still in its early stages and faces hindrances such as a lack of high-throughput technology at a wide scale, ethical implications, and consumer acceptance. The constant pressure of finding alternative food sources due to the continuous increase in global food demand has made genetically engineered crops and novel food an area of growing interest, where microbes, algae, and insects are gaining attention for their potential as alternative protein sources. Furthermore, the risk of disease outbreaks is diminished with cell-based meat production, as it does not entail rearing animals in confined environments. Consequently, the need for costly immunization measures against potentially hazardous diseases is obviated. Despite showing great potential due to the increasing demand for meat analogs, this field of research still must overcome significant hurdles to be widely adopted in the mainstream market.