Uptake and biosynthesis of fat in cultivated meat cells
Determining which lipids muscle and fat cells are capable of producing and absorbing directly from cell culture media.
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Cultivated
- Research
- R&D
- Cell line development
- Cell culture media
- Academics
Description
While fat is widely acknowledged as a key contributor to the flavor of meat, it may not be straightforward to recapitulate meat’s fat profile in culture. In animals, many lipids are absorbed from the diet rather than synthesized, and lipid synthesis often occurs in other organs such as the liver for subsequent transport to fat tissue. Research is required to determine which lipids muscle and fat cells are actually capable of producing—and from which precursors—with high efficiency, and which lipids they are able to absorb directly from the cell culture media. This will be especially valuable for desirable fats like EPA and DHA in cultivated seafood.
GFI resources

Cultivated meat
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This professor is figuring out how to produce, scale, and combine muscle and fat for cell-based meat
Dr. Petra Hanga is working to optimize cell-based meat production by creating a robust and reliable scale-up process for fat and muscle cells.

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