Meatly develops groundbreaking protein-free culture medium for affordable cultivated pet food

Meatly has developed a protein-free culture medium for cultivating meat cells, priced at just £1 per liter.

Culture medium is a nutrient solution essential for growing animal cells in a lab setting (in vitro). While commonly used in research, creating cultivated meat at scale requires significant cost reductions. Traditional media often rely on expensive components like fetal bovine serum and growth factors.

Meatly's revolutionary protein-free medium eliminates the need for these expensive elements. This innovation significantly reduces production costs, making cultivated meat commercially viable.

"Our protein-free medium represents a critical milestone for Meatly and the entire cultivated meat industry," said Dr Helder Cruz, Co-founder & Chief Scientific Officer at Meatly. "This breakthrough drives down production costs, a major hurdle for the industry. It paves the way for affordable cultivated meat products for pet owners."

Meatly is poised to be the first company to sell cultivated meat in Europe, focusing initially on pet food. They anticipate regulatory approval soon and plan to launch their product in the coming months.

Jim Mellon, Founder of Agronomics and investor in Meatly, added, "Meatly's protein-free medium establishes them as a true leader. They've slashed costs by a hundredfold, bringing cultivated meat closer to price parity with conventional options and ultimately, mass adoption."

Meatly's achievement, accomplished within 18 months and on a budget of £3.6 million, showcases the potential of cultivated meat. This innovation offers a more sustainable and ethical alternative to traditional pet food production.