University of Queensland microalgae system could cut cultivated meat media costs by up to 90%

Researchers at the University of Queensland (UQ) developed a closed-loop production system that could reduce cultivated meat growth-media costs by between 60% and 90%, using microalgae to recover nutrients from waste generated during cell cultivation.

• UQ researchers estimated their microalgae-based recycling system could reduce cultivated meat growth-media costs by 60–90% by recovering nutrients from production waste
• Microalgae consumed leftover nutrients and carbon dioxide while producing oxygen, before being processed so recovered nutrients could be fed back into meat-cell cultivation
• UQ worked with Australian cultivated meat company Magic Valley to explore integrating the closed-loop approach into commercial-scale production facilities

The research, published in Food Research International, tackled one of the cultivated meat industry’s most persistent economic challenges: the cost of the nutrient-rich media required to grow animal cells.

Dr Melanie Oey, from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience, said the team’s calculations suggested substantial savings were possible.

“From our calculations we estimate we can reduce growth media costs somewhere between 60 to 90 per cent,” Oey said.

The system effectively linked two biological processes. Waste material from cultivated meat production was used to grow microalgae, which absorbed nutrients remaining in the waste stream while producing oxygen.

Mammalian cells could use that oxygen during cultivation and release carbon dioxide, which in turn could be consumed by the microalgae. The algae could then be processed to recover nutrients for reuse in the cultivated meat process.

“The algae could absorb left over nutrients from the cultivated meat waste while supplying oxygen to meat cells,” Oey said.

“The nutrients harvested from the microalgae could be returned to the system, creating a self-sustaining circular bioeconomy.

“This greatly reduces the need for expensive growth factors and amino acids, which remain one of the largest hurdles getting cultivated meat into supermarkets and onto dinner plates.”

Growth media remains a major contributor to cultivated meat production costs, particularly where formulations rely on costly growth factors, recombinant proteins and other specialized ingredients. Reducing those inputs while maintaining cell performance is therefore a central challenge for companies seeking to reach commercial-scale economics.

Testing also showed that the system generated more microalgae than was required for nutrient recycling. According to the researchers, that surplus could potentially provide cultivated meat manufacturers with additional products or revenue streams.

The work was supported through an Australian Economic Accelerator grant and involved Australian cultivated meat producer Magic Valley, which supplied waste material for the project.

UQ researchers are now working with the company to investigate how the closed-loop system could be incorporated into larger production facilities.

Andrew Laslett, Head of Research and Development at Magic Valley, said reducing media expenditure could help remove a major obstacle to commercialization.

“By helping reduce media costs, one of the sector’s most significant barriers, this innovation could accelerate the pathway to commercial-scale cultivated meat production,” Laslett said.

The research arrived as cultivated meat companies continued to work on lowering production costs while increasing bioreactor scale and improving media efficiency. Regulatory progress has also continued, with Australia and New Zealand among the countries to have authorized cultivated meat products for sale.

For UQ’s researchers, the next step will be determining whether the nutrient-recycling gains demonstrated through the research can translate into the economics and operating conditions required at industrial scale.

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