Wageningen Campus workshop showcases advances in meat, fish, dairy, and palm oil substitutes

A group of pioneering businesses affiliated with Wageningen University & Research (WUR) are developing innovative food solutions that could redefine how we produce meat, fish, dairy, and even palm oil. These advancements in cellular agriculture and precision fermentation were showcased during a workshop at Wageningen Campus on 28 November 2024, where developers discussed their progress and the challenges ahead.

RespectFarms, founded in 2022, aims to produce cultured meat using a bioreactor to grow muscle tissue from bovine stem cells and plant-based feed. The resulting tissue is processed into meat using 3D printing technology. Unlike conventional lab-grown meat approaches, RespectFarms envisions partnering with farmers to integrate bioreactors into farming operations.

Ralf Becks, representing RespectFarms, stated, “In our philosophy, we partner with farmers, and the farmers of the future will keep cows as well as produce meat in a bioreactor.”

According to a study by WUR, RespectFarms’ cultured meat has a significantly smaller environmental footprint compared to traditional beef. The bioreactor process uses 95% less land, 78% less water, and produces 92% fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, societal costs are estimated to be 56% lower. RespectFarms is currently seeking investors and aims to build a demonstration facility near Wageningen capable of producing 100 tonnes of meat annually.

Despite these promising figures, the company faces two major challenges: the need for EU regulatory approval for cultured meat and the difficulty of scaling production to achieve cost competitiveness.

Upstream Foods, also established in 2022, focuses on producing fish fat cells to recreate the distinct flavor of fish. Founder Kianti Figler explained that many consumers are disappointed with the taste of plant-based fish alternatives due to the lack of authentic fish flavor, which is largely determined by animal fats.

Upstream Foods uses stem cells to grow fat cells from salmon and trout. The company currently maintains 40 cell lines and is in the lab-culturing phase. Figler hopes to launch a pilot factory within a few years to produce fish-derived fats on a larger scale.

In the realm of dairy alternatives, WUR researcher Etske Bijl is developing caseins — essential milk proteins — using precision fermentation. This method involves producing caseins from microorganisms, bypassing the need for cows. Caseins are large proteins that store minerals such as calcium, making them a closer match to traditional dairy proteins than plant-based alternatives.

Bijl has successfully produced small quantities of mozzarella cheese using these caseins, though only a few milligrams so far. Scaling up production remains the next critical step. She noted that current vegan milk products struggle to replicate the properties of dairy because plant-based proteins lack the structure and functionality of caseins.

Another breakthrough comes from NoPalm Ingredients, founded in 2021. The company produces palm oil using yeast fermentation, eliminating the need for palm plantations, which are a major driver of deforestation. Co-founder Jeroen Hugenholtz explained that the process uses food waste to create a sustainable alternative to conventional palm oil.

NoPalm Ingredients is working towards establishing a test facility capable of producing 100,000 liters of oil — the scale necessary to compete in the food supply chain. However, the challenge lies in developing facilities capable of extracting and purifying oil at such volumes, as no existing infrastructure in Europe can handle the entire process. Hugenholtz is conducting trials across the Netherlands, Germany, France, and England to identify the best path forward.

These next-generation businesses highlight the potential of cellular agriculture and precision fermentation to revolutionize food production. From meat and fish alternatives to dairy and palm oil substitutes, these innovations offer solutions to reduce environmental impact, improve food security, and address ethical concerns associated with traditional agriculture.

As Ralf Becks of RespectFarms put it, “This process could meet the globally increasing demand for meat while still achieving the climate goals.”

(Main photo courtesy of Upstream Foods)