Exciting news in the world of animal-free meat, as Enzymit and Aleph Farms have teamed up to make cultivated meat production faster and cheaper — their collaboration holds incredible potential, not just for cow cells but also for other types of cultivated meat.
Scaling up cultivated meat production has faced challenges due to the high costs of developing non-animal-derived serum protein mimetics (these proteins are vital for cell growth but have been hard to obtain in the necessary quantity, quality, and affordability).
To overcome this hurdle, Aleph Farms sought the expertise of Enzymit to develop innovative insulin substitutes using microorganisms that mimic the functions of naturally occurring proteins found in animals but with enhanced activity per molecule.
The collaboration between both companies will cover cow meat and other cultivated types like pork, lamb, and poultry. (Image: Aleph Farms)
Neta Lavon, CTO of Aleph Farms, highlighted the significance of this development, emphasizing the need for more suitable aids to drive economies of scale and make cultivated meat mainstream.
By combining Enzymit’s outstanding protein design capabilities with Aleph Farms’ expertise in cellular agriculture, they are building the foundations for cost-efficiency and long-term impact in the industry.
A partnership that will revolutionize the alternative meat production
The collaboration between both companies will stop at cow cells — it will also cover other cultivated meat types like pork, lamb, and poultry. Insulin, a highly conserved protein across species, has the potential to revolutionize the production of these meat alternatives.
Enzymit’s achievement is owed to its cutting-edge computational design algorithms and high-throughput testing capabilities. Leveraging these resources, they swiftly developed a range of insulin substitutes, testing them rigorously. These selected proteins, soluble and expressed in E. coli, require no complex purification or additional treatments.
Lowering production costs will have a great impact on the final prices, making alternative meat more affordable. (Image: Aleph Farms)
After a thorough screening, they identified several leading candidates with superior activity in cell culturing, requiring minimal concentration for activation. These proteins could dramatically reduce production time and costs by minimizing downstream purification and maturation processes.
Gideon Lapidoth, CEO of Enzymit, expressed gratitude for the partnership with Aleph Farms, recognizing their invaluable role in advancing cost-efficient cultivated meat production. With stable and active insulin substitutes, the cost of growth media can be significantly reduced, driving efficiency in producing cultivated meat on a larger scale. Together, they are shaping a brighter future for the industry.
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