Dutch Startup Meatable Partners with TruMeat for Cultivated Meat Facility in Singapore
Dutch startup Meatable has recently announced a collaboration with a newly established company, TruMeat, to construct a cultivated meat facility in Singapore. This strategic alliance aims to leverage advanced biomanufacturing techniques to pioneer the production of cultivated meat in the region.
Leadership and Technology
TruMeat is led by executives with extensive backgrounds in large-scale biomanufacturing and cell culture media production. The facility will operate on a pilot scale utilizing Meatable’s cutting-edge technology, with construction anticipated to commence later this year, subject to securing additional financing, as reported by AgFunderNews.
Facility Goals
The upcoming facility is poised to be Singapore’s first dedicated to delivering cultivated meat at the necessary cost levels and volumes to support commercial partners in product formulation, testing, and market launch.
Future Partnerships
Should the de-risking process and business model prove successful, Meatable intends to engage commercial partners from large meat and food companies to finance the development of its future large-scale facilities. “This is the next step in our journey to make cultivated meat accessible and affordable,” stated Meatable CEO Jeff Tripician.
A representative from Meatable informed AgFunderNews that further information will be disclosed soon, noting, “TruMeat is a newly formed company in Singapore, drawing upon the expertise of larger industry players in Asia. We aim to initiate construction later this year, at which point we can provide more details on the capacity and size of our bioreactors.”
Additionally, Meatable has submitted regulatory documentation in Singapore and plans to file in a select number of other countries in the coming months.
Innovative Scaling Models for Cultivated Meat
Jeff Tripician, a veteran of the US meat industry, took over as CEO of Meatable last summer. He highlighted the shift from the 2021 investment climate to a more pragmatic approach, asserting that “the companies that will succeed will possess superior science and collaborate with established meat companies to build large-scale plants.”
He characterized Meatable as a “raw material supplier” to meat companies, suggesting that traditional meat companies are likely to incorporate cultivated meat into their capital expenditure plans for years to come.
Addressing Consumer Concerns
“Cultivated meat and seafood can be produced on demand, mitigating issues related to land use, water consumption, disease outbreaks, and animal welfare,” Tripician remarked. With growing consumer interest in sustainability, he believes that efficient production will lead to widespread adoption of cultivated meat.
Industry Insights: Challenges and Opportunities
Meatable has made significant advancements in reducing production times for cultivated pork, enhancing its unit economics during a period of increased scrutiny on the industry. Co-founder Daan Luining noted the challenges faced by the cultivated meat sector but emphasized Meatable’s achievement of securing a substantial $35 million Series B round in 2023, bringing its total funding to nearly $100 million.
Luining observed that the cultivated meat industry is undergoing a natural cycle of hype, stagnation, consolidation, and redirection. “The companies that possess unique and valuable innovations will endure,” he stated, emphasizing the importance of sustained investment in viable technologies.
Meatable’s Innovative Process
Rather than reprogramming adult cells, Meatable extracts pluripotent stem cells from animal umbilical cords, offering advantages like rapid cell division and versatility. The company utilizes its patented Opti-Ox technology, developed by co-founder Dr. Mark Kotter, which allows for precise activation of transcription factors that determine cell identity.
“Our method activates the cells’ natural abilities to differentiate into muscle or fat, marking a breakthrough in stem cell biology,” Luining explained. The time to differentiate these cells has dramatically decreased from 45 days to just four days, making the production process economically viable.
Though not aimed at creating steak initially, the differentiated cells harvested by Meatable are claimed to be of high quality in terms of fat and muscle composition. Luining asserts, “This technological leap is set to make our cultivated meat offerings more appealing to consumers.”
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