The difficulty of scaling new technology has been a challenge since the advent of mass manufacture. Techno-economic assessment (TEA) has been employed in multiple industries to understand the potential impact and scalability of emerging technologies. This chapter examines the three major TEAs of animal cell–based meat products, which have been conducted at the time of this writing. The scope and assumptions which are made by each TEA are identified and compared. Capital and operating expenditures are compared separately and summarized to provide an informative analysis of each TEA. The results and key assumptions which influence the outcomes of each TEA are then contrasted to give an informed perspective of the economic outlook for animal cell–based meat products.

Interest in animal cell-based meat (ACBM) as an environmentally conscious replacement for livestock production has been increasing; however, a life cycle assessment (LCA) for the existing production methods of ACBM has not been conducted. Currently, ACBM products are being produced at a small scale, but ACBM companies are intending to scale-up production. Updated findings from recent technoeconomic assessments (TEAs) of ACBM were utilized to perform an LCA of near-term ACBM production. A scenario analysis was conducted utilizing the metabolic requirements examined in the TEAs of ACBM, and a purification factor was utilized to account for growth medium component processing. The results indicate that the environmental impact of near-term ACBM production has the potential to be significantly higher than beef if a highly refined growth medium is utilized for ACBM production. This study highlights the need to develop a sustainable animal cell growth medium that is optimized for high-density animal cell proliferation for ACBM to generate positive economic and environmental benefits.

There is an increasing interest in use of biotechnology as a means of sustainable food manufacturing; however, biotechnology processing is considerably resource and energy intensive. Recent interest in animal cell-based meat (ACBM) has prompted scientific and engineering questions about the economic and environmental viability of these proposed ACBM products. This study provides an environmental assessment of two proposed growth mediums (Essential 8 TM and Beefy-9) for ACBM production. The study found that the addition of antibiotics/antimycotics (10,000 μg/mL) to the growth media increased the environmental metrics, such as the cumulative energy demand and global warming potential, by two orders of magnitude. To account for additional processing for animal cell culture, a scenario analysis was conducted to assess the potential environmental impacts of growth medium production with varying level of refinement required for the input components. The study indicates that the heavy refinement of the growth medium components is likely to undermine the potential sustainability of future ACBM products.

Increases in global meat demands cannot be sustainably met with current methods of livestock farming, which has a substantial impact on greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water consumption, and farm animal welfare. Cultivated meat is a rapidly advancing technology that produces meat products by proliferating and differentiating animal stem cells in large bioreactors, avoiding conventional live-animal farming. While many companies are working in this area, there is a lack of existing infrastructure and experience at commercial scale, resulting in many technical bottlenecks such as scale-up of cell culture and media availability and costs. In this study, we evaluate theoretical cultivated beef production facilities with the goal of envisioning an industry with multiple facilities to produce in total 100,000,000 kg of cultured beef per year or ~0.14% of the annual global beef production. Using the computer-aided process design software, SuperPro Designer®, facilities are modeled to create a comprehensive analysis to highlight improvements that can lower the cost of such a production system and allow cultivated meat products to be competitive. Three facility scenarios are presented with different sized production reactors; ~42,000 L stirred tank bioreactor (STR) with a base case cost of goods sold (COGS) of $35/kg, ~211,000 L STR with a COGS of $25/kg, and ~262,000 L airlift reactor (ALR) with a COGS of $17/kg. This study outlines how advances in scaled up bioreactors, alternative bioreactor designs, and decreased media costs are necessary for commercialization of cultured meat products.

Predicted famines due to population increase created an interest in the development of protein alternatives during the 1950s. Currently, a renewed interest in protein alternatives has developed as a potential strategy to decrease the environmental impact of protein production and meet the global demand for protein as the population increases. Fusarium venenatum A3/5/3, the organism used for mycoprotein production has been commercially available since the 1980s, however new fungal protein companies are currently interested in scaling up production. To aid guide efforts in this domain, we created an economic model with over 340 inputs that examines the continuous production of mycoprotein utilizing airlift bioreactors. Utilizing a sensitivity analysis, we identified critical processing inputs and then developed a user-friendly Excel model that allows for the exploration of customized production scenarios for interested stakeholders. Our findings indicate that mycoprotein can be cost competitive with beef on a price per protein basis. The findings also indicate that mycoprotein may not be an economically competitive alternative for other types of commodity meats (chicken) or for inexpensive meat-derived products (pet food) that utilize offal or meat byproducts not traditionally consumed in the modern western diet.

Biotechnology and BioengineeringVolume 120, Issue 4 p. 861-864 ISSUE INFORMATIONFree Access Biotechnology and Bioengineering: Volume 120, Number 4, April 2023 First published: 14 March 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/bit.28137AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Volume120, Issue4April 2023Pages 861-864 RelatedInformation

Pinene is a secondary plant metabolite that has functional properties as a flavor additive as well as potential cognitive health benefits. Although pinene is present in low concentrations in several plants, it is possible to engineer microorganisms to produce pinene. However, feedstock cost is currently limiting the industrial scale-up of microbial pinene production. One potential solution is to leverage waste streams such as whey permeate as an alternative to expensive feedstocks. Whey permeate is a sterile-filtered dairy effluent that contains 4.5% weight/weight lactose, and it must be processed or disposed of due its high biochemical oxygen demand, often at significant cost to the producer. Approximately 180 million m(3) of whey is produced annually in the U.S., and only half of this quantity receives additional processing for the recovery of lactose. Given that organisms such as recombinant Escherichia coli grow on untreated whey permeate, there is an opportunity for dairy producers to microbially produce pinene and reduce the biological oxygen demand of whey permeate via microbial lactose consumption. The process would convert a waste stream into a valuable coproduct. This review examines the current approaches for microbial pinene production, and the suitability of whey permeate as a medium for microbial pinene production.

Interest in animal cell-based meat (ACBM) or laboratory grown meat has been increasing, however the economic viability of these potential products has not been thoroughly vetted. Recent studies suggest monoclonal antibody production technology can be adapted for the industrialization of ACBM production. This study provides a scenario-based assessment of the projected cost per kilogram of ACBM based on cellular metabolic requirements and process/chemical engineering conventions. A sensitivity analysis of the model identified the nine most influential cost factors for ACBM production out of 67 initial parameters. The results indicate that technological performance will need to approach technical limits for ACBM to achieve profitably as a commodity. However, the model also suggests that low-volume high-value specialty products could be viable based on current technology. One Sentence Summary A model based upon cellular metabolism and engineering conventions was created to examine the economic viability of animal cell-based meat. Significance statement Animal cell-based meat (ACBM) has received a significant amount of media attention (as well as corporate investment) in recent years based on its perceived potential to displace traditional meat production, whether beef, poultry, or fish. However, a robust techno-economic assessment (TEA) of these potential products is not publicly available. Our study examined the capital and operating expenditures for potential ACBM products based upon fundamental cellular attributes, the use of proposed near-term/existing technology, and process engineering conventions. Our findings suggest that the current production pathways are far from producing cost-competitive ACBM products, as well as highlight the technical metrics that must be achieved for an ACBM product to become economically viable. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

Interest in animal cell-based meat (ACBM) or laboratory-grown meat has been increasing; however, the economic viability of these potential products has not been thoroughly vetted. Recent studies suggest monoclonal antibody production technology can be adapted for the industrialization of ACBM production. This study provides a scenario-based assessment of the projected cost per kilogram of ACBM produced in the United States based on cellular metabolic requirements and process/chemical engineering conventions. A sensitivity analysis of the model identified the nine most influential cost factors for ACBM production out of 67 initial parameters. The results indicate that technological performance will need to approach technical limits for ACBM to achieve profitably as a commodity. However, the model also suggests that low-volume high-value specialty products could be viable based on current technology.

Whey production can be an economic and environmental problem for small creameries and acid whey producers. The fermentation and distillation of whey not only eliminates the cost of disposing whey as waste while minimizing environmental impact but adds a revenue option through production of a value-added product. Kluyveromyces marxianus is typically utilized to ferment the pasteurized and pretreated whey. The fermented product contains approximately 3% ethanol v/v. Various options for distilling may be utilized such as a simple two-pot system or a more complex four-stage system to assure production of a neutral spirit. Quality of the distilled spirit is impacted by whey source, whey pretreatment, fermentation conditions, and the distilling process.

Whey disposal can be both an environmental and economic challenge for artisanal creameries. Lactose in whey can be fermented to produce ethanol and subsequently distilled. The objective of this study was to use a process-based life cycle analysis to compare carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) emissions and water usage associated with the artisanal or craft production of clear, unaged spirits using whey or malted barley as fermentation substrate. Differences in production were assessed based on key process differences: energy used, water used, distillation by-product disposal, and mass of CO2 produced during fermentation. For this study, whey was assumed removed from the artisanal creamery waste stream. Quantifiable differences were evaluated per 750-mL (45% alcohol by volume) functional unit and expressed as mass-equivalent CO2 emissions (kg of CO2e) and mass of water (kg) used. The CO2e emissions and water usage were quantified using published data, thermodynamic calculations, and mass-balance calculations for a hypothetical distillation system. The process-based life cycle analysis estimated that distillation of fermented whey reduced overall CO2e emissions by 8.4 kg per functional unit and required 0.44 kg less water added into the production process compared with production of a similar clear, unaged spirit using malted barley as substrate. Our preliminary analysis suggests that conversion to distilled whey spirit is a more environmentally responsible approach compared with landfill disposal of whey.

Lactose within whey can be fermented and distilled to produce a potable distilled spirit. The aim of this study was to determine if acid and sweet whey types can be fermented and distilled using similar processes and to investigate differences in volatile aroma compounds for the 2 distillates. Fermentation and distillation of the 2 whey types progressed in a similar manner, using Kluyveromyces marxianus for the initial fermentation and a glass still fitted with a Vigreux column for the subsequent distillation. Ethanol content of the wash (fermented whey) varied considerably following each fermentation and ranged from 1.2 and 2.0% (wt/wt) with no clear trend between acid and sweet whey samples. Volatile aroma compounds were extracted using headspace solid-phase microextraction and identified via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Acid and sweet whey distillates contained unique volatile aromatic compounds, and significant differences in compound peak areas were observed. These differences may have an effect upon the organoleptic qualities of spirits produced from whey; therefore, whey source may be an important factor when fermenting and distilling whey.