It is no longer a question of whether products produced in the bioreactor will
come onto the market, but only when this will be the case (photo: Pixabay)
have skyrocketed. In total, several billion of euros have already
flown into this technology. The large investments have accelerated
technological development in this field and allowed several
critical technical obstacles to be overcome. Against this backdrop,
it is not the question anymore whether products created in the
bioreactor will enter the market, but when this will be the case.
Accordingly, it is little surprising that more and more big names in
the agri-food industry, such as the food manufacturer Nestlé and
the meat company JBS, are bracing themselves for the new reality
through strategic partnerships and equity investments in the invitro
landscape.
In contrast to plant-based substitutes, in-vitro meat and dairy
products will not just be similar to their animal-based counterparts
but perfect substitutes. This means that the new products will
look, smell, and taste the same as the products we are familiar
with today. Accordingly, the difference between conventionally
and in-vitro manufactured meat and dairy products will not exist
on the level of the product, as it is the case with plant-based substitutes,
but solely in the production method. This renders in-vitro
products in principle appealing to all meat lovers with the consequence
Disruption ¦ IDM
that the potential market for in-vitro products will likely to
be much larger than the market for plant-based substitutes.
At this point, the question arises about the market potential of
in-vitro produced meat and dairy products. Ultimately, the market
success of the new in-vitro products will be strongly determined by
consumer acceptance. In general, the logic applies that the more
benefits innovations offer to consumers, the greater their market
success will be. A first added value of the new in-vitro technology
lies in its high potential for sustainable development. Some experts
predict that the in-vitro production of meat and dairy products
might generate up to 90 percent less greenhouse gas emissions
than the production of their animal-based counterparts. In addition,
comparable sustainability leaps are expected in regard to
water and land use. Notably, given that the in-vitro production
of animal products is independent of climatic conditions, the new
technology can make an important contribution to global food
security in the era of climate warming. Moreover, the manufacturing
of meat and dairy products in the bioreactor has clear benefits
in regard to animal welfare as it neither requires intensive livestock
farming nor the slaughter of animals.
January/February 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com · 7
/international-dairy.com
