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Innovation insights for cell-based growthIssue 1 - November 2023THEwww.thecellbase.comReimagining foodCell-based innovations shaping the future of food3D bioprintingConsumer acceptanceMarket overviewInterview: Upside Foods© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

2November 2023Welcome to the first issue of The Cell Base, a new publication that covers all corners of the fast-growing, innovative cell-based food industry! As the sector gains momentum, one thing is clear – cell-based is essential for a smarter, more sustainable global food system. In recent months, we’ve seen cultivated chicken launch into US restaurants, the approval of cell-based meat tastings in the Netherlands, a multitude of companies developing methods to produce growth factors at a fraction of standard costs, and the reliance on foetal bovine serum gradually diminishing. Currently in a period of rapid acceleration, the cell-based arena now boasts hundreds of companies working fast to innovate in the space. From sausages and fish fingers to burgers and whole cuts of chicken, The Cell Base offers snapshots of some of the industry’s most exciting innovators on page 16. The last 12 months have been pivotal for US-based food-tech company Upside Foods, which now sells its cultivated chicken to US consumers. The Cell Base catches up with Upside Foods for an exclusive insight into its journey to approval, how its products have been received so far and its advice for emerging start-ups on page 20. With concerns about environmental impact, animal welfare and food security, alternative protein sources are gaining traction. Among these, cell-based meat production has emerged as a groundbreaking solution, with companies employing cutting-edge technologies like 3D bioprinting to create cultured meat and seafood products that mimic the real thing. ‘Meat’ the future on page 24. Elsewhere in the issue, we discuss how the success of cell-based meat and seafood hinges on consumer acceptance. Explore how innovators can sell cell-based on page 28. And on page 32, we speak with BioBetter’s CEO Amit Yaari, who tells The Cell Base how the Israeli company is tackling the issue of cost parity by harnessing the power of tobacco plants as natural bioreactors. Enjoy the first issue of The Cell Base magazine!Editor’s viewEvery effort is made to verify all information published, but The Cell Base cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions or for any losses that may arise as a result. Opinions expressed in articles do not necessarily reflect those of FoodBev Media Ltd. The Cell Base welcomes contributions for publication. Submissions are accepted on the basis of full assignment of copyright to FoodBev Media Ltd unless otherwise agreed in advance and in writing. We reserve the right to edit items for reasons of space, clarity or legality. Printed in the UK by Holbrooks Printers Ltd on paper produced from elemental chlorine-free pulp sourced from sustainably managed forests.Print ISSN 2977-0963Online ISSN 2977-0971The Cell Base is published four times a year by: FoodBev Media Ltd, 8 Kingsmead Square Bath BA1 2AB, United KingdomTel: +44 (0)1225 327890 E-mail: info@foodbev.comSUBSCRIPTIONS To subscribe to The Cell Base, contact us:Email: subscriptions@foodbev.com Tel: +44 (0)1225 327866foodbev.com/publicationsADVERTISING Sales director Account manager Jesús Luna-Lopez Chiara Marangon sales@foodbev.com chiara.marangon@foodbev.com Tel: +44 (0)1225 327862New business sales executive Jake Targett jake.targett@foodbev.comEDITORIAL Editor ............................................................................ Phoebe FraserEditorial director ................................................................ Siân Yates Deputy editor ........................................................ Melissa BradshawNews reporter .............................................................Rafaela Sousa Design and production director .............................Jolyon EdwardsDesign and production executive ................................. Abi DaviesDesigner ................................................................ Megan SmethurstPhoebe Fraser, editor3D bioprinting: The ingenuity reshaping the future of food Page 24Sustainable, smart, cell-based © 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

November 20233InsideMeat the future 24 4 Editor’s view Sustainable, smart, cell-based 6 Cell-based news Industry in brief 16 Mapping the cell-based landscape An insight into some of the industry’s biggest players 20 On the Up Interview: Upside Foods 28 Selling cell-based Exploring how cell-based success hinges on consumer acceptance 31 The growth factor The Cell Base attended the opening of BioBetter’s pilot facility 32 Towards a better food industry BioBetter’s CEO Amit Yaari details how the start-up can reduce costs within the cell-based space 34 Review: Future of Protein Production We round up some of the most significant takeaways from this year’s event31The growth factorSelling cell-based28Cutting-edge cell-based technologies such as 3D bioprinting are a testament to the ingenuity that is reshaping the future of food On the up20© Rotem Gola© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

THEInnovation insights for cell-based growthIssue 1 - November 2023THEwww.thecellbase.comReimagining foodCell-based innovations shaping the future of food3D bioprintingConsumer acceptanceMarket overviewInterview: Upside Foods

Innovation insights for cell-based growthIssue 1 - November 2023THEwww.thecellbase.comReimagining foodCell-based innovations shaping the future of food3D bioprintingConsumer acceptanceMarket overviewInterview: Upside FoodsSubscribe todayfoodbevsubscriptions.com/ the-cell-base-magazineFoodBev Media’s newest publication, The Cell Base, provides insights for professionals to stay informed, exchange ideas and explore new cell-based opportunities.

6November 2023Good Meat has announced the first-ever sale of its cell-based chicken product in China Chilcano restaurant in Washington, US. In July, a select group of dinerssat down to a “historic meal” of charcoal-grilled cell-based chicken, marking the first-ever sale of Good Meat in the US. The landmark dinner, hosted by chef José Andrés, came two weeks after GoodMeat and Upside Foods received full US regulatory approval to sell their chicken to consumers within the country. Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Good Meat and its parent company Eat Just, said: “I am proud that Good Meat is launching with José Andrés, beginning a new tradition of how Americans will eat meat in the many decades ahead”. The new dish is served to the public weekly in limited quantities, by reservation only. Good Meat serves cell-based chicken at US restaurantIt has been reported that the UK government is working to fast-track regulatory approval for cell-based meat to boost food security and sustainability. Ministers and regulators are working to accelerate the approval of the novel foods to ease the cost of living and provide more sustainable sources of meat as the global population grows. Currently, no cell-based meat is authorised for sale in the UK. However, The Telegraph has reported that the UK government is currently in discussions with Israel, a leading nation in the field, about signing a bilateral agreement aimed at enhancing collaboration on cell-based meat production. The Food Standards Agency is also said to be considering future changes to the approval process of cell-based meat to remove unnecessary burdens on businesses innovating in this space. Last month, the Good Food Institutein Europe called for the UK government to invest £390 million in alternative proteins by 2030, including funding for open-access research, business grants and a new sustainable protein catapult to support small businesses in the sector. UK to fast-track approval of cell-based meat with Israel deal South African cell-based meat company Newform Foods – formerly Mzansi Meat – has partnered with French flavour and fragrance supplier Mane. Through the strategic partnership, the companies aim to focus on the taste and texture of cell-based meat as well as the development of cost-eective products, leveraging Mane’s experience in food and flavour to enhance cultivated muscle and fat across species and products. In line with the companies’ focus onaordability, they will start by introducing hybrid options that combine cultivated meat with plant-based protein. Tasneem Karodia, Newform Foods’ co-founder and COO, commented: “We aim to create hybrid cultivated meat products that will blend with plant-based protein to elevate the taste, texture, colour and flavour of what’s currently on the market. While Newform Foods is working to reach scale and price parity with conventional meat, hybrid products will be the first to hit the market.” Newform Foods partners with Mane to improve taste, texture and affordabilityIndustry news© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

November 20237Umami Bioworks has partnered with “Japan’s largest” fishing company, Maruha Nichiro, marking the first time a Japanese seafood company has invested in a foreign cell-based seafood start-up. Maruha Nichiro says its first formal investment in cellular agriculture aims to ensure a sustainable supply of seafood worldwide and lay the foundations for Japan’s cell-based seafood industry. The strategic investment from Maruha Nichiro is set to help accelerate Umami’s development progress. The two companies will also carry out a multi-faceted collaboration to accelerate the path to cell-based seafood commercialisation, with a specific focus on endangered, threatened and globally significant species. With the investment, Umami Bioworks will be able to carry out its long-term plan of building a research and commercial team in Japan. In turn, Maruha Nichiro will be presented with a third method of sustainable production, in addition to traditional fishing and aquaculture, for increasingly scarce seafood species. A spokesperson from Maruha Nichiro said: “As a means to address the anticipated protein supply shortage in the future, Maruha Nichiro highly values Umami Bioworks as a business partner as it is focused on establishing the production technology for cell-cultivated seafood products, while sharing our vision to accelerate the commercialisation of cellular agriculture.” Umami Bioworks collaborates with Japanese fishing company Maruha NichiroExtracellular, a UK-based contract development and manufacturing organisation dedicated to cell-based meat and seafood, has opened a new pilot facility. The facility – which the company says is “Europe’s largest” contract pilot facility dedicated to cell-based meat and seafood production – is located in Bristol, UK, and aims to drive the industry closer to commercial scale. Extracellular says its new site will provide the industry with the pivotal scale-up and manufacturing services required to propel the industry to commercial scale. The facility aims to have a total capacity of 10,000 litres, with a production capacity of up to 50 tons of cell-based meat annually with its existing capabilities, and up to 100 tons per year with its predicted future capabilities. The food-grade production facility is operational now at a 200-litre scale, with plans to increase to a 2,000-litre capacity by the end of the year. The facility – which will hold multiple bioreactors, from 50 litres to 5,000 litres – will be available to cell-based meat and seafood companies through Extracellular’s development, scale-up and contract manufacturing services. Founder and CEO of Extracellular, Will Milligan, said: “The vision for the facility is to eliminate the need for cultivated meat companies to develop pilot-scale facilities altogether, saving each company millions of pounds in capital expenditure, cutting years out of their commercialisation timelines and de-risking the scale-up process by providing the much-needed manufacturing expertise. This will allow cultivated meat companies to focus on their goals of developing great consumer products at achievable prices.” Extracellular opens “Europe’s largest” pilot facility for cultivated meat and seafood © 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

8November 2023Steakholder Foods has announced the launch of its proprietary Light CAD Editor software, providing an easy-to-use platform for 3D model customisation. The software oers a user-friendly interface that “works seamlessly” with the company’s fusion printers, enabling clients to create, test and optimise 3D models and fibrous textures for Steakholder Foods’ 3D bioprinters, without the need for third-party software or extensive computer-aided design (CAD) training.The Light CAD Editor is said to be a “gamechanger” for Steakholder Foods’ fusion printers, which are known for their capability to create highly sophisticated, textured end products. The company says that the ability to customise textures on-site will empower clients to fine-tune their end products, ensuring they meet or exceed industry standards and consumer expectations. Steakholder Foods also launched an AI-powered Nozzle Inspection System, engineered for the stringent demands of industrial print head inspection. The new system leverages specialisedindustrial camera technology and AI algorithms to reshape print head monitoring. The start-up says that it takes “industrial 3D printing to unprecedented levels, oering real-time analysis and actionable insights for print head performance”. By delivering real-time insights into print head performance, it enables proactive maintenance, minimises downtime and assures consistently high-quality prints. The new system oers precision imaging, advanced segmentation, real-time nozzle analysis and comprehensive reporting, oering actionable recommendations to enhance print quality and maintain equipment longevity. Steakholder Foods’ unveils new innovationsIsrael-based cellular agriculture company, Aleph Farms, has submitted a dossier to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for approval of its cultivated beef steaks in the UK. It follows Aleph Farms’ recent application to Swiss regulators to sell cultivated beef – the first application of its kind in Europe. The UK is currently reviewing its authorisation process for novel foods after leaving the European Union. Before a cell-based meat product can be sold in the UK, it must be approved by the FSA, which includes an evidence-based assessment of its safety and nutritional value. This process is estimated to take around two years to conduct. In a LinkedIn post, Aleph Farms said: “Approval of our submission will allow us to launch Aleph Cuts, the world’s first cultivated beef steaks, in the UK. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the regulatory authority to ensure full compliance with safety requirements. Together, we will build trust with our UK diners and provide them with delicious and new culinary experiences.” Seth Roberts, policy manager at the Good Food Institute Europe explained that while several British cell-based meat companies are “making great progress,” they are considering launching their products overseas. He said: “The FSA should accelerate constructive conversations with industry, scientific experts and consumer groups to inform a trusted, innovative framework for sustainable proteins that enables them to deliver on their climate benefits”. Aleph Farms applies for cultivated beef approval in UK Industry news© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

November 20239US-based Upside Foods has revealed plans to build its first large-scale cell-based meat production plant, named Rubicon, in Glenview, Illinois. The 187,000-square-foot plant will start by producing ground cell-based chicken products, with plans to expand to other species and whole-textured formats in the future. With an initial capacity to produce millions of pounds of cell-based meat products annually – and the potential to expand to over 30 million pounds – the plant represents a significant step forward in achieving the company’s vision of creating a more humane, sustainable and resilient food system. The new plant is designed to house cultivators with capacities of up to 100,000 litres and will stand as one of the world’s largest and most advanced commercial cell-based meat facilities. Building upon the knowledge gained from Upside’s engineering, production and innovation centre in California, the company’s new plant will cultivate meat at commercial scales and serve as a guiding force for its future endeavours in scaling up its operations to the next level. Upside Foods unveils new cell-based meat production plant The Cultivated B has entered into discussions with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and has ocially filed the pre-submission process for novel food approval of a cell-based sausage product. After the ocial submission, The Cultivated B (TCB) says it will emerge as the “world’s first” biotech company to apply for EFSA certification for cell-based meat. This is a pivotal first step in the evolution of the cell-based meat market and is set to establish a viable path towards large-scale commercial production. Seth Roberts, policy manager at the Good Food Institute Europe, said: “EFSA’s Novel Food regulatory approvals process is among the most robust in the world, including a thorough and evidence-based assessment of food safety and nutritional value. For cultivated meat to become available in Europe, where this food was born, would mark a paradigm shift for the sector.” The cell-based sausage product for which TCB seeks certification is similar to boiled sausages used in hot dogs and has been developed in close collaboration with TCB’s sister company, The Family Butchers. It is a hybrid sausage product composed of vegan ingredients, featuring a substantial proportion of cell-based meat. TCB says that by leveraging the combined expertise of both entities, it ensures that consumers will experience the familiar, delectable taste they love while benefiting from a sustainable and ethically produced product. The Cultivated B initiates EFSA certification with pre-submission process for sausage product© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

10November 2023US-based cultivated meat start-up Omeat has launched Plenty, an “ethical replacement for foetal bovine serum that is equally eective but for a fraction of the cost”. Omeat has had its first commercial sales of Plenty, positioning it among the first revenue-generating cell-based meat companies. Plenty is a nutrient-rich cell culture supplement filled with growth factors and cytokines that play an essential role in regenerative medicine, cell culture and vaccine production of dierent types of cells, such as mesenchymal stem cells. According to Omeat, Plenty is the “first and only” product to oer a cost-eective, consistent solution that is slaughter-free and prioritises animal welfare. Plenty is sourced from regenerative factors that are extracted humanely from healthy cows that graze freely on Omeat’s farm. The company employs full-time veterinary and animal welfare sta and has developed procedures for collection that prioritise the comfort and holistic wellbeing of the animals. Plenty’s foetal bovine serum alternative is available for purchase now on the company’s website. The Netherlands-based food-tech company Meatable has raised $35 million in new funding, bringing the company’s total so far to $95 million. The round – led by UK venture capital firm Agronomics – saw Invest-NL, a Dutch impact fund, join as a new investor, contributing $17 million. The round also drew renewed support from existing investors, including BlueYard, Bridford, MilkyWay and DSM Venturing. Meatable says it will use the funding to further scale its processes and accelerate commercial launch. The scale-up and process optimisation is set to reduce production costs to become cost competitive with traditional meat and reach production to commercial volumes. The company’s products, which include sausages and pork dumplings, will be available in select restaurants and retailers in Singapore from 2024 as it partners with the country’s authorities to secure regulatory approval. Meatable has begun production of its products on the ground with Esco Aster, the first and only commercially licensed cell-based meat manufacturer in Singapore. Last month, the company held a full tasting experience of its cultivated pork meat products in Singapore. The tasting followed approval by the Singapore Food Agency, which has stringent safety requirements and a clear framework of criteria that companies need to meet. Meatable said the event proved invaluable for collecting feedback on the taste and texture of its products. A select group of stakeholders were invited to try Meatable’s cultivated meat products, including a cultivated pork sausage and pulled pork, featuring the pronounced pork flavour, bite and texture that is found in traditional meat. In the coming months, Meatable plans to organise more tastings in Singapore and internationally, to educate future partners and consumers as well as gain learnings on how to further optimise its products. Meatable raises $35m to scale and accelerate commerical launch of pork product Omeat launches affordable alternative to foetal bovine serumIndustry news© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

November 202311Iceland-based ORF Genetics has entered into a partnership with South Korean company SeaWith to boost the production of cell-based meat using ORF’s animal-free growth factors (GFs) made from barley. ORF Genetics specialises in producing animal-free GFs – which are crucial for cell-based meat production – derived from barley under the MESOkine brand. SeaWith uses brown algae to create 3D cell culture scaolds and microalgae extract as a serum replacement in cell culture media. SeaWith anticipates that the collaboration, outlined in a MOU, will enable it to secure a stable supply of GFs from ORF Genetics, accelerating its product commercialisation of cell-based meat. The company’s goal is to introduce cell-based meat products to market, under its Welldone brand, by year 2025 – particularly cultivated beef using cells derived from the Korean native Hanwoo cattle breed. Lee Hee-jae, CEO of SeaWith, added: “Through this collaboration, we have laid the foundation for securing materials for stable mass production of cultured meat. We are working on securing research and development and production facilities with the goal of commercialising our own brand ‘Welldone’ products in 2025. Now we can accelerate even more in this rapidly growing and crucial market.” The MOU also highlights plans for further joint R&D initiatives in the realm of GFs for cell-based meat production. ORF Genetics partners with SeaWith for cultivated meat productionChina-based cell-ag company Jimi Biotech has successfully developed the “world’s first” deer antler stem cell line, making it the first company globally that is capable of mass-producing deer antler stem cells through cellular cultivation. Deer antlers hold significant cultural and dietary importance in China and other Asian countries, where they are seen as a premium health product. The market for deer antlers in China exceeds RMB 3 billion (approx. $412.1 million). Jimi Biotech’s spontaneously immortalised cell line has undergone over 60 passages with a doubling time of under 24 hours. The company successfully adapted its own cell lines to grow in suspension at more than 10 million cells per millilitre and says it has reduced the cost of serum-free media to RMB 50 (approx. less than $7) per litre. The uniqueness of deer antlers lies in their ability to undergo complete regeneration periodically under natural conditions, prompting extensive research into their anti-ageing and health benefits, especially pertaining to antler stem cells, which constitute less than 1% of the entire antler structure. Earlier this year, Jimi Biotech developed “China’s first” beef cell line and first cell-based beef, but it says it is prioritising submitting the approval filing for deer antler products next year. Zhehou Cao, founder of Jimi Biotech, said: “The incorporation of deer antler stem cells can augment the value proposition of our meat oerings. We will begin by selling deer antler products, and as we continuously reduce costs, we will move on to selling cultivated beef, followed by other more aordable meats such as pork and chicken.” Jimi Biotech successfully develops “world’s first” deer antler stem cell line© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

12November 2023Good Meat has reported that a group of leading Islamic scholars has advised the company that cell-based meat, which is made without raising and slaughtering animals, can be halal if production meets certain criteria. Answering this theological question is a major step forward for international acceptance of cell-based meat, since halal consumers represent about 25% of the world’s population. This guidance from a trio of well-respected scholars in Saudi Arabia comes as cell-based meat begins to enter commerce in the US. The Shariah scholars reviewed documentation prepared by Good Meat that described how cell-based chicken, the company’s first product, is made. The panel studied details about how the cells are sourced and selected, the ingredients fed to the cells to stimulate growth, how the cells are harvested and how finished products are manufactured. The scholars concluded that cell-based meat can be halal under the following conditions: • The cell line is from an animal that is permissible to eat, such as a chicken or a cow • The animal the cell line is extracted from is slaughtered according to Islamic law • The nutrients fed to the cells are permissible to eat, and do not include any substances that are forbidden to be eaten such as spilled blood, pigs, alcohol or materials extracted from animals that have not been slaughtered properly • The cell-based meat is edible and that it does not harm human health, and this is confirmed by referring to specialists, such as a country’s food regulatory agency Good Meat’s chicken cell line and production process that were approved by regulators in the US and Singapore in July do not yet meet the above criteria, however, with this clarity the company says it will work on a process to meet the halal guidelines moving forward. The same week, OU Kosher, the kosher certification division of the Orthodox Union (OU) and the world’s largest and most widely recognised kosher certification agency, determined that cell-based meat company SuperMeat’s chicken cell line, meets Mehadrin (the most stringent level of kosher supervision) standards. Developments on halal and kosher cell-based meat rulingsFollowing this acknowledgement, the parties say they are embarking on a “thorough examination” of the entire supply chain and the cell-based meat production process. This is set to establish clear guidelines for other enterprises in the cell-based meat sector. This is a pivotal moment in the overlap of religious dietary standards and advanced food technology in the cell-based meat industry and indicates for the first time a wide consensus among Jewish religious factions. The OU recognition came after a series of halachic discussions and scientific reviews. These reviews focused on avian embryogenesis and stem cells, including the observation of the excision of embryonic stem cells from a fertilised chicken egg prior to the appearance of blood spots. Based on in-depth discussions and reviews, the OU has determined that SuperMeat’s poultry cell line development process has broad acceptance as the basis for a kosher, Mehadrin, meat product. Industry news© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

November 202313Florida-based biotech company Dyadic International has announced that independent analysis has confirmed its animal-free bovine serum albumin to be structurally identical to commercial animal albumin. Bovine serum albumin has applications for human therapeutics, cell culture media, vaccine development, research and development, and more. It is frequently used as a component of the cell culture media to grow animal cells to produce cell-based meat as it is the main constituent of foetal bovine serum. Dyadic’s microbial platform uses a specific filamentous fungal strain to produce recombinant proteins, which allows flexible commercial scales at low costs to meet the global demand for non-pharmaceutical recombinant proteins. Using the platform, the company has been able to successfully develop stable cell lines to produce animal-free recombinant bovine serum albumin and recombinant human serum albumin at high levels. Joe Hazelton, chief business ocer at Dyadic, said: “We are developing bovine and human animal-free serum albumin, both of which were successfully expressed eciently with high purity. Initial third-party testing showed Dyadic’s albumin is analytically comparable to commercial reference samples which puts us closer to commercialisation opportunities in the rapidly expanding global serum albumin market.” Dyadic nears commercialisation of animal-free bovine serum albuminGlobal meat giant JBS has begun construction on “Brazil’s first” cultivated protein research, development and innovation centre. Scheduled to open in Q4 2024, the JBS Biotech Innovation Centre – located at Sapiens Parque innovation hub in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina – willbe the largest research facility focused on food biotechnology in Brazil. JBS is investing $22 million in phase one and phase two, which focus on the construction of lab facilities and a pilot plant. The site will initially employ a team of 25 specialist post-doctoral researchers, as well as sta and clerical support. With the new centre, JBS aims to make the production process for cultivated protein more ecient, scalable and economically competitive. While the current focus is to explore research to optimise beef cell cultivation, JBS says the main aim is to establish cell-based beef production in the future. In total, the JBS Biotech Innovation Centre will require an investment ofaround $62 million over three phases. In the third stage, an industrial-scale model will be built to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of cultivated protein. The company says this project will serve as a model for future plants that JBS may build to produce beef and other cultivated protein types. JBS says that when it reaches the commercial stage, its cultivated protein will initially reach consumers in the form of prepared foods, such as hamburgers, sausages and meatballs, with the same quality, safety, flavour and texture as traditional protein. The technology has the potential to produce beef, chicken, pork and fish. JBS begins work on Brazil’s first cultivated protein research centre © 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

14November 2023US-based cell-ag company BlueNalu has raised $33.5 million from new and existing investors in a Series B financing round, according to Agronomics. The company – whose mission is to become the global leader in cell-based seafood – says the financing will enable its next stage of growth and will help it progress towards scaling and commercialising its sustainable seafood around the world. Following regulatory approval, BlueNalu plans to launch its first commercial product, premium bluefin tuna toro. The toro portion of bluefin tuna is sought after in Asia where over 80% of the estimated global supply is consumed. BlueNalu says the bluefin tuna is currently available in very limited supply, can be “extremely variable” in its quality and sensory attributes, and has faced steep declines in fish stocks due to issues like overfishing and illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. In addition to the capital raise, in October the cell-based seafood company announced plans to extend and enhance its strategic partnerships with three multinational seafood industry leaders headquartered in the APAC region. The partnerships are set to support BlueNalu’s planned introduction of cell-based seafood in several APAC nations over the coming years, through fostering market insights, understanding regulatory requirements and developing go-to-market strategies. The expanded collaborations include MOUs with Mitsubishi in Japan, Pulmuone in South Korea and Thai Union in Thailand, each with a strong presence in the global seafood sector. Agronomics announces BlueNalu’s Series B raise, extends strategic partnerships Industry newsCultivated meat start-up CellX has launched “China’s first” cell-based meat pilot plant in an industrial park on the outskirts of Shanghai. The facility, named Future Food Factory X, marks China’s first large-scale pilot plant for cell-based meat, with a leading level of production costs “well below” $100 per pound, and the ability to produce “a couple of tonnes” of cell-based meat each year. CellX’s pilot plant utilises its proprietary cell cultivation technology and operates with fully digitised intelligent management systems. It is positioned as “China’s first transparent food space” for cell-based meat and integrates technology R&D, pilot production and interactive consumer experiences. The pilot plant currently hosts one line with a 2,000-litre bioreactor and has the capacity to host multiple lines. Starting now, consumers will have the opportunity to taste and enjoy a variety of delicacies made from cell-based meat at the facility. As part of an event held in August for government, investors and media, CellX served meat it had cultivated in its laboratory from animal cells. The oerings included kebabs and minced meat, both of which were made using cell cultivation. CellX said each dish costs less than CNY 100 (approx. $13.87) to produce. In preparation for large-scale production, CellX’s FX pilot plant leverages its self-developed suspension cell line and low-cost serum-free culture medium. These technologies have successfully reduced production costs to below $100 per pound, which will be further slashed by 2025 market launch. CellX declares completion of “China’s first” large-scale cell-based meat plant© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

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16November 2023Company: Bluu Seafood, Germany Product type: Fish fingers and fish balls Method: Scientists create immortalised cell lines from isolated stem cells. Cells are then grown in a fermenter, providing a sterile environment that mimics the same process that takes place in an animal’s body. Cell type: The sample contains different populations of stem cells Source: Small sample tissue from living fish that can be used repeatedly with no need to go back to the animalComposition and additions: Fermenter contains non-GMO growth medium (water, protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals). No microcarriers or scaffolding materials are used. Result: A large number of fish cells including muscle, fat and tissue. These are combined with other ingredients such as vegetable proteins to create products like fish fingers or fish balls. Further insights: Bluu’s approach is based on the generation of small cell aggregates called spheroids. Traditionally, these spheroids enable the cells to adhere to each other and grow in a protected manner while being agitated in the fermenter. However, Bluu has developed a method that keeps the spheroids below a certain size while maintaining cell proliferation, allowing for continuous cell production in suspension. Company: Meatable, the Netherlands Product type: Pork sausages (hybrid) Method: Patented opti-ox technology, combined with pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), replicates the natural growth process of the cells. PSCs have the natural ability to rapidly keep on multiplying. The technique allows Meatable to grow many cells in bioreactors. Cell type: Pluripotent stem cells Source: A single cell from a pig is taken without harming the animal. “This means quite literally that we only need one cell to feed the world and never have to go back to the animal,” explained Krijn De Nood, co-founder and CEO of Meatable. Composition and additions: Uses growth media containing a mixture of nutrients, vitamins and other compounds required for cell survival and growth. No foetal bovine serum is used. Result: Real pork muscle and fat cells. These are combined with plant-based proteins to optimise the properties of the cell-based pork. Further insights: Meatable can create pork meat in eight days, 30 times faster than the time it takes to rear a pig for porkMapping the cell-based landscape16November 2023In the dynamic cell-based food industry, where innovation meets sustainability, a recent surge has ignited a wave of transformation. Currently in a period of rapid acceleration, the last few years have seen the achievement of various milestones in the sector, such as regulatory approval in the US and major growth in the technologies that will facilitate scale-up into mass production. The Cell Base offers snapshots of the start-ups innovating in this space.© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

November 202317Company: Good Meat, US Product type: Chicken whole cuts (hybrid) Method: The process starts with Good Meat’s established cell bank with a chicken cell line that is safe, meets quality standards and has received regulatory approval. Scientists take a single vial of chicken cells and grow them in larger vessels, ending in a 3,500-litre stainless steel bioreactor where the cell biomass is produced over four weeks from the thawing of the vial. Cell type: Chicken fibroblast cells Source: Chicken eggs Composition and additions: Does not use any growth factors and cells are grown scaffold-free Result: The chicken cells are used as the main ingredient in the finished product and combined with other plant-based proteins to generate fibrous whole cutsFurther insights: Good Meat has received approval for its cultivated chicken and now serves it to the public at China Chilcano restaurant in Washington, US, “offering a simple yet delicious preparation that does not mask the flavour of the meat because we want people to truly taste the chicken and recognise its familiarity,” Vitor Santo, senior director of cellular agriculture for Good Meat told The Cell Base. Company: Mosa Meat, the Netherlands Product type: Beef patty or beef meatball Method: Place cells in a nurturing environment in bioreactors that cause them to multiply by orders of magnitude, “from hundreds of thousands to trillions pretty quickly,” explained Robert Jones, VP of global public affairs at Mosa Meat. Then, scientists move the proliferated cells into a new environment that triggers them to turn from loose biomass into whole muscle fibres and fat. Cell type: Adult cow stem cells or satellite cells isolated to the healthiest and most active adult stem cells Source: Biopsy on live cow without harming the animal Composition and additions: Non-GMO approach. ‘Nurturing environment’ is a liquid-rich broth that holds the amino acids, sugars, vitamins and hormones that the cow would have turned grass into. Uses cell feed consisting of 80% water, nutrients and growth factors made from plant-based materials. No foetal bovine serum is used. Result: Fully differentiated muscle and fat Further insights: The nutrients and growth factors that are in the cell feed are considered a ‘processing aid’ and not detectable in the final product. Mosa Meat is laser-focused on beef because of the climate impacts on cattle – and aims to bring the first fully developed beef, muscle and fat tissue to market to give consumers a real opportunity to replace beef quickly. Mapping the cell-based landscapeNovember 202317© Mosa Meat© Good Meat© Good Meat© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

18November 2023Taste and texture Many companies operating in the cell-based space use a mixture of cultivated animal cells and plant-based cells to enhance the mouthfeel of their products. “We use plant-based proteins to a certain extent to add texture to the product, while the taste is being brought by the fish cells,” commented Bluu Seafood’s Höllerer. “We can combine the ‘best of both worlds’ in these earlier products while progressing towards higher cell contents and more complex textures in the future.” Good Meat, which first began by making chicken nuggets, is now able to offer a whole-cut product with fibrous chicken meat, resembling the structure, morphology and texture of conventional chicken as a result of its product development efforts. Meatable achieves the characteristic meat flavour from a mixture of compounds, formed through complex chemical reactions between sugars, proteins, fats and enzymes. “Only with cultivated animal cells, which are molecularly indistinguishable from traditional muscle and fat cells, can we achieve the taste, texture and nutritional value identical to conventional meat,” Meatable’s De Nood explained. Similarly, Mosa Meat said that it is making full muscle and fat, replicating the taste and texture of traditional beef. “I have personally tasted it and cooked with it and am super impressed with the flavour notes and how it tastes just like beef,” Jones said. “We have a two Michelin star chef on our product development team, and he would say the same thing. He is amazed at how the final product can emulate what the cow does, but without the need to slaughter the animals.” Meatable and Mosa Meat worked with the Dutch government to develop a ‘code of practice’ that makes cultivated meat tastings possible, making the Netherlands the first European country to develop a framework to allow tasting events. “It takes a lot of iteration and development to get the combination just right, but thanks to our first industry tasting, we know we have perfected our processes,” De Nood added. “It’s a game-changer,” added Mosa Meat’s Jones. “The ability for targeted consumers and stakeholders, including investors, to be able to try the product while we’re formulating it and give us feedback will ultimately help us make better products that improve consumer adoption.” 18November 2023© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

November 202319Scalability and cost Bluu Seafood says its non-GMO and serum-free immortalised cell lines provide a higher yield at a lower cost than non-immortalised cell lines, with the use of serum-free media adding to cost reduction. “We expect to see further reductions in this area as the production of dedicated growth media for cultivated proteins ramps up and pharmaceutical grade standards are lowered to food grade,” Höllerer enthused. Meatable has worked to increase scalability and reduce costs by making its process as efficient as possible. Last year, the company took around three weeks to produce its cultivated sausage product and now it only takes eight days. “Being able to work this efficiently means we can scale up faster and bring down costs even further, to work towards price parity with organic traditional meat,” De Nood told The Cell Base. By fine-tuning the composition and sourcing of nutrients and ingredients, Good Meat has brought down the cost of its media. The US-based company has boosted its savings by partnering with other businesses that can produce high-quality food-grade nutrients for its cell growth media and has increased chicken cell density in its manufacturing process to improve efficiencies while lowering costs. “Our strategic partnerships with bioreactor manufacturing companies will also help us bring costs down in the future,” added Santo. Similarly, Mosa Meat reiterates the importance of strategic partnerships “to fill in the expertise and the gaps that we have as an industry,” Jones explained. The company has been working with Dutch animal nutrition company Nutreco over the last three years to use waste and animal feed byproducts from its downstream process to create serum. “Serum is so expensive as up until now it required using pharmaceutical-grade components,” Jones noted. “The partnership has enabled us to replace 99% of the components in our base media with food-grade components from Nutreco and that has gotten the cost of our growth media down by orders of magnitude.” Regulatory approvals, groundbreaking technologies and strategic partnerships are propelling the industry towards a future where animal protein is produced without the need for traditional farming. As pioneers push boundaries, we are seeing a shift towards sustainability and cost-effectiveness that promises to reshape our culinary landscape. This revolution is not just a paradigm shift; it’s the start of a more conscientious and sustainable future for the planet and the palates it nourishes. © 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

20November 2023On the upThe last 12 months have been pivotal for US-based food-tech company Upside Foods. Last November, the start-up received Food and Drug Association approval for its cultivated chicken and in June it was given the green light from the US Department of Agriculture. By July, Upside had started serving its cell-based chicken to consumers at chef Dominique Crenn’s restaurant in San Francisco. The Cell Base caught up with Upside Foods for an exclusive insight into its journey to approval, how its products have been received so far and its advice for emerging start-ups. Firstly, a huge congratulations on receiving Food and Drug Association (FDA) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) approval for your cell-based chicken products! Could you tell us about Upside Foods’ inception and the steps you have taken to reach this landmark? Upside Foods was founded in 2015 by Uma Valeti. The idea of growing meat directly from animal cells came to Uma when he was training as a cardiologist at The Mayo Clinic in 2005. Later on in his practice, he was involved in a study that used stem cells to regrow muscle cells that had been damaged during heart attacks and realised that the same approach could be used to grow animal muscle cells – like meat. The more he thought about it, the more he realised how transformative it would be if we could make meat at scale using this method. After all, raising and killing animals for food has taken a toll on our planet, public health and on countless animal lives. Yet, meat plays such an important role in almost every culture around the world. Asking people to give it up has never been a viable option – in fact, demand for meat is skyrocketing. He realised that we can’t ask the world to stop eating meat, but we can innovate to develop new ways of producing it. Since 2015, Upside Foods has raised over $600 million and has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being the first company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken and duck), to partner with the existing meat industry and to sell the first cultivated meat product in the US. Beyond the milestones discussed above, what are some of the most notable achievements that Upside has accomplished so far? In November 2022, Upside completed the first step in the rigorous pre-market regulatory review process and received a ‘No Questions Letter’ from the FDA, signalling the agency accepted its conclusion that its cultivated chicken is safe to eat. In June, following USDA acceptance of its label and subsequent Grant of Inspection for its Engineering, Production and Innovation Center, Upside Foods became one of the first companies to receive full regulatory approval to sell cultivated meat in the US. © Upside Foods© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

November 202321In July, Upside became the first company to sell cultivated meat to consumers at an event hosted at Michelin-starred Bar Crenn. Later that month, Upside announced live public reservations for its dinner services at Bar Crenn, where diners get to experience Upside’s cultivated chicken as part of a six-course meal priced at $150, with services taking place on the first weekend of each month. Now that Upside has launched its cell-based chicken product in Bar Crenn, how has the product been received so far? Have you had any feedback from consumers? The feedback from consumers has been extremely positive. US-based TV personality Erin Sharoni attended Upside’s initial tasting event in July, and she said: “I tasted the future, and it was delicious! It tasted just like what I remember chicken tasting like; the texture, mouthfeel, weight and flavour are extraordinary. I suppose it’s the most extraordinary ordinary thing I’ve ever eaten. The fact is, that it’s chicken – made from chicken cells and grown in a much cleaner, safer environment – but without any Industrial animal agriculture today accounts for nearly 15% of the world’s GHG emissions““of the harm. Now, people can have their chicken and eat it, too!” Cell-based foods have the potential to revolutionise the food industry. How do you envision Upside Foods and other cell-based food start-ups contributing to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly food system? When you consider the impact of industrial animal agriculture today, it’s alarming to realise that it accounts for nearly 15% of the world’s GHG emissions, uses up one-third of the world’s arable land and water and slaughters more than 70 billion animals per year. Furthermore, its excessive use of antibiotics has resulted in the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, posing a significant threat to human health. This is especially concerning when you take into account that the demand for meat is projected to double by 2050. It’s clear that the current path we’re on is unsustainable and we need to find alternative methods for meat production. © Upside Foods© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

22November 2023We believe that cultivated meat can preserve tradition by enabling people to continue to eat the meat they love““By growing meat directly from animal cells, Upside can focus its caloric inputs on producing just the meat that people love – as opposed to growing inedible parts of the animal like bones. It also preserves our precious natural resources like land and water and emits fewer GHGs. As a result, cultivated meat is expected to be more resource ecient. As it is produced in a clean and controlled environment, cultured meat is expected to reduce the risk of harmful bacterial contamination. This can be done without the use of antibiotics or large herds of densely stocked animals, which has the added benefit of reducing pandemic risk in the future. Other countries have been criticised for “falling behind” when it comes to embracing cell-based technologies. Do you think this is true? If so, what advice would you give to these countries to help them accelerate their progress? We chose to focus first on the regulatory process in the US because we believe the FDA and USDA set the standard for global acceptance of new food innovations. We are incredibly grateful for the agencies’ rigorous and thoughtful processes to ensure the safety of our food supply. That said, as demand for meat skyrockets in the face of limited natural resources, we need new methods that can supplement the existing meat © Upside Foods© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

November 202323supply. If we want a shot at building a food system that works for everybody, we need to engage the most influential players in that food system across the globe. Our mission has always been to safely bring cultivated meat to consumers’ plates throughout the world and we will continue to work with international regulatory agencies, as we have in the US, in pursuit of that mission. Likewise, there has been some scepticism and negativity towards cell-based foods, from both consumers who lack knowledge about the sector and from governments such as Italy’s, which recently claimed the sector fails to consider heritage and tradition. As a cell-based company, what are Upside’s opinions about this? At Upside Foods, we believe that cultivated meat can preserve tradition by enabling people to continue to eat the meat they love. Rather than dismissing tradition, we see innovation as a means to uphold our most meaningful culinary practices while also addressing the pressing challenges we face today. Our belief is that scientific advancement serves as a bridge from our ancestors to the future, allowing us to cherish the food that has been an integral part of our history for millions of years while paving the way for a more secure and sustainable food system. Why did Upside Foods choose to focus on cell-based chicken? Are there any specific reasons or advantages to starting with chicken compared to other types of meat? We selected chicken for our first commercial product because it’s the most consumed meat in the US and is quickly becoming the meat of choice for consumers around the world. It is also a very versatile product that lends itself to a diverse set of recipes and culinary applications, which makes it a great first product to introduce people to cell-based meat. What are the major challenges associated with the commercialisation and scaling up of cell-based meat products? How can the sector overcome these obstacles? The biggest challenge has been the fact that there is no playbook to follow. We are building the industry as we go and there are a lot of learnings that come with that. We have made tremendous progress in the last eight years, doing proof-of-concept and scientific development that was thought to be impossible. Now, our focus is on scaling up the ecosystem. We will do this by working with partners to develop the right supply chain and infrastructure to scale with us – and ultimately, to scale with the demand for meat. That broad journey of technical scale-up, buildout of the supply chain ecosystem and continuing to move down the cost curve is something we are laser-focused on. One of our biggest focuses right now is on further reducing the cost of cell feed and finding eciencies in bioprocess scale-up – these will play key roles in achieving cost parity with conventionally produced meat. We’ve already made tremendous progress on both of these fronts and continue to invest heavily in developing and testing new production processes to help achieve these goals. Do you have any advice or guidance for those hoping to start companies in this ever-growing space? It’s crucial to identify a niche where your start-up can provide unique value or innovation to propel the sector forward. For instance, consider how your company can optimise the cell-based meat supply chain. This may involve streamlining distribution processes, implementing sustainable packaging solutions or forging strategic partnerships to enhance logistics. What’s next for Upside Foods? We’re focusing on introducing our products to consumers for the first time and on scaling up production. It will take time to achieve the scale that we’re working towards, but we’re making progress towards this every day. We’ve just announced a new 187,000-square-foot commercial facility that will be capable of producing millions of pounds of cultivated products per year. © Upside Foods© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

24November 2023Meat the future 3D bioprinting is an extension of 3D printing, but instead of printing layers of plastic, this method intricately constructs layers of living tissue. It differs from traditional cell cultivation, which relies on cells naturally fusing together and self-organising into complex structures. 3D bioprinting’s more engineered approach uses specialised technology to precisely position cells and bio-inks in a layer-by-layer manner, following digital designs. The bio-inks, similar to the inks found in traditional printers, consist of cells and biomaterials that are capable of constructing living structures. The process works in five steps. First, suitable cells are selected based on the desired product. For meat, this would involve choosing muscle cells from chicken, bovine or other animal species. Second, cells are cultured and multiplied in a controlled environment to obtain a sufficient quantity for bioprinting. Third, a bio-ink is created by suspending the cultured cells in a hydrogel-like substance that provides a scaffold for the cells – the bio-ink is optimised for cell viability and printing properties. Using a bioprinter, layers of bio-ink containing cells are then deposited according to a pre-designed pattern, forming the desired tissue structure. Finally, after bioprinting, the tissue matures and develops in a culture environment to improve its quality. 3D bioprinting allows for greater control over the spatial arrangement of cells and biomaterials, resulting in the creation of intricate, predetermined tissue structures. While traditional cultivation lets In an era where alt-protein sources are gaining remarkable momentum on the global food stage, an interplay of biotechnological breakthroughs and growing ethical and sustainability concerns are driving cellular agriculture into unchartered territories. Within this dynamic landscape, the evolution of cutting-edge technologies, such as 3D bioprinting, stands as a testament to the ingenuity that is reshaping the future of food. The Cell Base takes a closer look... cells organise themselves, this method allows researchers to sculpt and engineer tissues to create intricate 3D structures with carefully managed microarchitectures, such as aligned fibre patterns, making it particularly suitable for crafting complex structures like whole cuts of meat, with the desired organoleptic properties. Precision and personalisation “Our 3D printing technology allows us to create products with a level of precision and complexity that is unmatched by other alternative meat products,” Mor Glotter, VP of marketing at deep-tech food company Steakholder Foods, told The Cell Base. “By precisely controlling the printing process, we can create meat structures that mimic the intricate texture and appearance of real meat.” Headquartered in Israel, Steakholder Foods is developing 3D bioprinted beef, pork and seafood using animal stem cells. In 2021, the company – then known as MeaTech 3D – revealed it had succeeded in printing a 3.67-ounce cell-based steak, primarily composed of cultivated real fat and muscle cells. It was believed to be the largest cultured steak produced at the time. While precision is an attractive feature, Steakholder Foods’ technology also boasts a high level of personalisation, with the ability to adjust the shape, size, texture and even nutritional composition of the final product. “This level of customisation provides new opportunities for personalised nutrition and catering to consumer preferences,” Glotter noted. © 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

November 202325Aleph Farms, a start-up also based in Israel, is working on bioprinting that can cultivate whole cuts of any size, including thicker and marbled steaks. Each layer is composed of both cow cells and an extracellular matrix that provides enhanced structure and support – “imagine it as the cement that fills space between the bricks of a building,” explained Neta Lavon, CTO of Aleph Farms. An extracellular matrix is a network of proteins and molecules that provide structural and biochemical support to cells, mimicking the natural environment in which cells grow in an animal’s body and providing cues for cell growth and differentiation. Though the technology is still in the R&D stage, by printing each layer with cells and extracellular matrix together, Aleph Farms can achieve thicker tissue. As the technology can control the precise distribution of cells in that tissue, the company can create marbled steaks of varying thicknesses. “Computer modelling provides us with an astounding level of precision that opens doors to endless culinary opportunities,” Lavon added. “3D bioprinting picks up where the modelling leaves off and designs the perfect physical cut – marbling and all.” This year, Steakholder Foods, through a strategic partnership with Singapore-based company Umami Bioworks, unveiled the “world’s first” ready-to-cook cell-based grouper fish product. “One of the key breakthroughs in our collaboration with Steakholder Foods is the ability to rapidly 3D print the flaky texture of fish, capturing the individual flakes as well as the larger structure of a fillet,” Mihir Pershad, founder and CEO of Umami Bioworks, commented.Pershad told The Cell Base of the complex process Umami Bioworks undertakes to capture the desired textures and mouthfeel in its cell-based fish products. “We start by conducting a deep sensory profile of the ‘gold standard’ for the product we are developing,” he said. “We then engage in an iterative development process to experiment with different recipes and print conditions to determine if we are getting closer to our desired product attributes or not. With each cycle, we get better at predicting which approaches are likely to yield the types of improvements we need on attributes like flakiness, density, chewiness and mouthfeel.” Bio-inks – the building blocks Bio-inks are materials used to formulate cell-based cultures that develop into muscle tissues, serving as the ‘inks’ in 3D bioprinting. They act as the scaffolds that support the growth and development of cells into three-dimensional structures made from real meat tissues. Made up of various components, bio-inks incorporate extracellular matrixes, primary cells that differentiate and grow into muscle tissue and growth factors and nutrients that supplement the cells and encourage cell survival and growth. Bio-inks are often based on a hydrogel matrix, a network of crosslinked polymers that hold cells and nutrients in place. Hydrogels provide a suitable environment for cell adhesion, proliferation and tissue formation. Common hydrogel materials include alginate, gelatine and other biocompatible polymers. Such inks may contain crosslinking agents, chemicals that help solidify the hydrogel matrix by supplying stability to the 3D structure and preventing the cells from dispersing. Steakholder Foods, whose bio-inks are made of plant-based ingredients, chooses its solutions © 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

26November 2023according to the desired species and texture and are formulated to match the relevant printing technology. The deep-tech company employs two types of technologies to produce different end products. DropJet uses drops of gel-based materials to form a 3D structure, creating the flaky structure commonly found in fish and seafood. While Fusion extrudes paste materials through a narrow nozzle, enabling the creation of a fibrous texture that best simulates meat fibres. In September, Steakholder Foods unveiled SH Beef Steak Ink, a bio-ink formulated for use with the company’s Fusion technology. The ink mimics the fibrous texture, appearance and taste of a premium beef steak and accentuates the natural flavours of its cell-based meat while allowing for customised cuts of meat tailored to individual preferences. The beef ink builds on the company’s success of SH Fish Ink – a bio-ink containing cultivated grouper cells, designed for use with the DropJet technology. Mumbai, India-based company Biokraft Foods is another start-up experimenting with 3D bioprinting to cultivate meat – exclusively working on cell-based chicken. “One of the important benefits of using 3D bioprinting in our cultivated meat development process is the capacity to use multiple extruders,” explained Kamalnayan Tibrewal, founder of Biokraft Foods. “These extruders empower us to simultaneously print various layers of multiple cell types in unambiguous proportions, imitating the complicated structures found in conventional meat tissue,” he continued. “For instance, we can deposit muscle and fat cells in set ratios to make marbling inside the meat, upgrading taste and texture”. Biokraft’s bio-ink is formulated with different biopolymers to provide shape stability and to promote cell maturation, with different formulations containing various components like nutrients and growth factors to support cell proliferation. Why hybrid? Many companies working within the cultured meat space are producing hybrid variants, which incorporate both animal and plant cells. This is due to several factors, such as plant cells’ ability to increase nutritional content, including fibre, or their capacity to reduce input requirements as plant cells require simpler processes compared to animal cells. Although life cycle analyses of cell-based meat predict major environmental improvements compared to traditional meat production, plant-based meat is likely to offer more environmental benefits compared to early cell-based meat products. Hybrid or blended products that combine plant-based protein with cultivated meat present an avenue for improving the end products’ taste, cost and sustainability. Steakholder Foods’ flagship product, RTC (ready-to-cook) printer, is a hybrid cultivated meat product made from plant-based and cultivated ingredients. “While we have developed a proof of concept for a fully cultivated steak, it is clear that at current cost levels for cultivated meat, it will take more time to market fully cultivated products,” explained Glotter. “That is why we now offer our RTC printers for hybrid end products”. Although not made using 3D printing, Aleph Farms’ first product – named the Petit Steak – is a cultivated thin-cut beef steak grown from the cells of a premium Black Angus cow. The steak combines the cow’s cells with plant-based ingredients, including plant protein and fat, as the Angus cow cells are grown on a plant protein matrix. Aleph says that at the time of the Petit Steak’s soft launch, it will be priced similarly to ultra-premium conventional beef. 26November 2023© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

November 202327A challenging road ahead The road to perfecting 3D printing for cell-based meat is not without obstacles. For example, optimising nutritional requirements while also achieving the desired sensory profile in the finished product. “We address this partially by working with protein-rich ingredients in addition to our fish cells, which provide a similar amino acid and fatty acid profile to traditional fish,” Umami Bioworks’ Pershad commented. Biokraft’s Tibrewal added: “Getting the optimal printing parameters initially is quite a challenge and since you have to carry out the whole process under aseptic conditions, including bioprinting, maintaining such an environment is a cumbersome process”. The cost of technology and regulatory approvals are also challenges that the industry grapples with. Bringing down the production costs of cell-based meat is crucial for making it competitive with conventionally produced meat. This includes finding cost-effective alternatives to current cell culture media and growth factors. By incorporating plant-based components in its bio-inks, Steakholder Foods’ hybrid products boast reduced costs. The company has streamlined its use of resources, lowering its overall production expenses, which will ultimately make its products more accessible and affordable to consumers. Similarly, Biokraft says it is working on affordability by optimising its bio-ink formulations, reducing resource consumption and tailoring cost-effective media. Aleph Farms’ Lavon noted that the company has invested in supply chain solutions to help overcome the cost barriers in large-scale production. “We are limiting costs from a variety of angles, from innovation in production to collaboration with supply chain partners,” she told The Cell Base. “These include driving efficiencies in our process, establishing strategic agreements across our supply chains both in the upstream (like raw materials for production) and in the downstream (like processing and marketing), and focusing on a cost-efficient scale-up strategy.” She continued: “Such solutions include strategic agreements that help keep the price of growth media in check, such as our agreements with chemical company Wacker and drug developer Thermo Fisher.” Aleph Farms has also partnered with various companies – including Mitsubishi, BRF, Thai Union, Cargill and Migros – which it says will propel its market commercialisation and drive a faster scale-up of production. While such challenges persist, the potential benefits of 3D bioprinting in revolutionising the cell-based meat space are undeniable. The strive for cost-effectiveness and accessibility drives ongoing research and collaboration, propelling us towards a future where cell-based meats could redefine our relationship with food and the planet. Lessons learnt from plant-basedRedefine Meat, a company that can create plant-based meat alternatives through several technologies, harnesses the power of 3D printing to produce animal-free meat with the appearance, texture and flavour of whole-muscle meat steaks. The Israel-based company makes its products from ingredients including soy and pea protein, chickpeas, beetroot, nutritional yeasts and coconut fat. Its products, ranging from pulled beef and tenderloin to bratwurst and lamb kebabs are available on menus from Israel to the UK. While the company is not directly engaged in the production of cell-based meat, businesses seeking to expand their own cultured meat endeavours may find their processes noteworthy.The company’s proprietary technology is a combination of three main pillars: new-meat science, material science and additive manufacturing, which together, help to create plant-based meats with the texture, aroma and taste of traditional meat. Additive manufacturing includes a range of advanced technologies, such as plant-based tissue engineering and 3D printing. In a statement, Redefine Meat said: “It is precise, flexible and can eliminate supply chain inefficiencies... 3D printing uniquely enables the production of exact formations that can duplicate the muscle and fat structures found in cuts of meat that are fundamental to the pleasurable sensations experienced when eating meat, particularly whole-muscle cuts. 3D printing also offers flexibility, facilitating the printing of different shapes, sizes or combinations of ‘fat’ or ‘muscle’ without having to retool or reset the machines.” plant-based© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

28November 2023Selling cell-based Consumer perception is a key driver that influences the success or failure of products and services in most markets. In the F&B industry, how consumers perceive a product – its quality, value, safety, and alignment with their preferences and values – plays a pivotal role in their purchasing decisions. Positive perceptions can lead to repeat purchases and brand loyalty, while negative perceptions can harm a product’s reputation and sales. In the cell-based meat and seafood industry – where industrial-scale production is still at an embryonic stage – the sector’s potential could hinge on consumer demand. While there is a tinge of curiosity in such products, if shoppers are unwilling to sample cell-based fare, then the fate of those in the sector hangs in the balance. As companies gear up to increase their efficiency and cut costs to launch their products on the competitive market, the most important barrier to commercialisation must now be addressed: consumer acceptance. Mapping awareness The initial challenge facing the commercialisation of cell-based meat lies in raising consumer awareness about its existence and benefits. “One of our recent surveys in China among Gen Z showed that a vast Cell-based meat has the potential to revolutionise the world, but its success hinges on consumer acceptance. To reach its full potential, cell-based must become the preferred choice over traditional and plant-based alternatives. While some have embraced the ethical, environmental and health benefits of this new technology, studies reveal a certain hesitancy toward cultured meat, often seen as unnatural or overly ‘high-tech’. How can innovators in this space sell cell-based? We explore. majority of respondents (82%) did not know about cultivated meat,” Mathilde Alexandre, corporate and institutional engagement manager at ProVeg International, told The Cell Base. She continued: “That being said, the current low levels of awareness around cultivated meat means that there is still plenty of room for informing the public, normalising the concept and making it more well-known and attractive”. The second challenge, no small feat in itself, revolves around ensuring that consumers not only desire but also embrace the concept of cell-based meat. The Good Food Institute (GFI) carried out research in Europe in 2022, looking into public attitudes towards cell-based meat in France, Germany, Italy and Spain. GFI found there to be a strong awareness of the problems of industrial animal agriculture and a desire for change in all four of the countries studied – which cell-based meat is well-placed to address. Sophie Armour, senior communications manager at GFI, said: “We found a substantial market for cultivated meat in each of these countries, with 33% in France, 57% in Germany, 55% in Italy and 65% in Spain already willing to buy it”. © Good Meat © Upside Foods© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

November 202329She added: “The research found consumers across all four countries we studied thought it would never taste like conventional meat – but, now that more people will be eating cultivated meat in the US and Singapore and even tasting it in the Netherlands, we expect these attitudes will change”. The key factors driving the acceptance and adoption of cell-based meat encompass taste, environmental, animal welfare and health benefits. “It is interesting to note that personal health benefits, such as a reduction of antibiotics or pathogen contamination, outweigh societal benefits like environment and animal welfare,” ProVeg’s Alexandre explained. The organisation found that in Germany, 70% of consumers said they would be motivated to replace a portion of the conventional meat they eat with a cell-based alternative if they knew that antibiotics were not used in its production. What’s in a name? The way cell-based meat is presented can significantly shape people’s willingness to accept these products. Both ProVeg and GFI stressed the importance of using one term to refer to the novel foods to simplify and avoid confusion. Unappealing descriptors such as ‘artificial,’ ‘synthetic,’ ‘lab-grown’ and ‘in vitro’ are used significantly more often than neutral descriptors such as ‘cell-based,’ ‘cultured’ or ‘cultivated’ to describe the products. “The term ‘lab-grown’ is not really representative of the products, as production facilities are more like breweries than labs, once scaled up,” Alexandre said. Armour added: “Research more generally shows that familiarity is a key driver of consumer acceptance – so it’s important that the sector coalesces around an agreed name. As more products come to market around the world, consumers should become more aware and more excited about cultivated meat.” Trends noticed across the European countries GFI studied showed that consumers preferred the language of food, rather than science, and that they understood the benefits for the environment and animal welfare. “But we also saw crucial differences across countries, so it’s crucial that companies adopt cultural sensitivity and a tailored approach to each country,” Armour added. “If they take the time to understand the audiences they want to reach, there is a significant potential market for cultivated meat.” Research suggests that it is important to lean into the language of food and flavour – working with chefs and dieticians to show how cell-based meat can fit into European cuisines. The same applies for images – GFI’s Armour explained that it is important to display cell-based meat as a normal food rather than something scientific or high-tech. “Companies should ensure photographs of genuine, delicious cultivated meat products are made widely available to media outlets, giving the public an authentic idea of what cultivated meat looks like, as many publicly available stock images still show misleading and off-putting photographs such as conventional meat placed in petri dishes”. Transparency Transparency about the production process and benefits of cell-based meat is crucial in influencing positive perception. Companies working in the space are prioritising transparent communication about their production methods and safety standards and are engaging in open dialogue with consumers. Israeli start-up SuperMeat has opened a restaurant-style test kitchen in Tel Aviv, where it offers its crispy cultivated chicken fillet to customers as a way to normalise cell-based meat and bring it closer to commercialisation. While dining, customers can look into SuperMeat’s factory and see its chicken burger patties being manufactured under the same roof. Similarly, Upside Foods, which recently received Food and Drug Association (FDA) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) approval in the US and has started serving its cell-based chicken to the US public, has designed its production facility in a way that allows people to witness for themselves how the cell-based meat process works. November 202329© Good Meat© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

30November 2023Legislation and food safety Safety and regulation are important factors influencing consumer acceptance. Consumers want assurance that cell-based meat products are safe for consumption, therefore clear regulations and rigorous safety standards are crucial in addressing these concerns and building consumer trust. The FDA and USDA jointly oversee the regulation of cell-based meat in the US. The FDA is responsible for ensuring the safety of cell lines and the production process, focusing on aspects related to cell culture technology and the initial stages of meat production. The USDA, on the other hand, oversees the production and labelling of cell-based meat products, much like it does for traditional meat products. An FDA spokesperson told The Cell Base: “Our approach to regulating products derived from cultured animal cells involves a thorough pre-market consultation process and inspections of records and facilities as applicable. The pre-market consultation allows developers to work with the FDA on a product-by-product basis and informs them of issues they must consider to produce safe food that does not violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act’s requirements. As part of this process, we evaluate the production process and the cultured cell material produced, including the establishment of cell lines and cell banks, manufacturing controls and all components and inputs.” The spokesperson continued: “The FDA intends to conduct routine inspections at cell banks and facilities where cells are cultured, differentiated and harvested. These inspections will help ensure that potential risks are being managed and that biological material exiting the culture process is safe and not adulterated.” Building consumer trust, the FDA makes information about all completed pre-market consultations available to the public on its inventory of completed pre-market consultations for human food made with cultured animal cells. Collaboration is key “Collaborations with traditional food industry players and partnerships that focus on joint research, distribution and marketing initiatives contribute to the credibility of cell-based meat products,” Nandini Roy Choudhury, client partner for food and beverages at Future Market Insights, told The Cell Base. She explained: “The surge in interest and investment from both established companies and start-ups has led to technological advancements and scaling-up production, bringing cell-based meat closer to commercialisation and as a result, more consumers are becoming aware of the concept and its potential benefits”. The entry of prominent food companies and collaborations with traditional meat producers have helped legitimise and bring credibility to the cell-based meat industry. These partnerships have attracted attention and sparked conversations among consumers, leading to greater awareness and understanding of this alternative protein source. For example, in October, global meat giant JBS began construction of a cell-based protein R&D innovation centre with the aim to make the production process for cultivated protein more efficient, scalable and economically competitive. Similarly, cell-based seafood company Umami Bioworks has partnered with “Japan’s largest” fishing company, Maruha Nichiro, to build the infrastructure of Japan’s cell-based seafood industry. These major collaborations and investments from traditional meat and seafood companies add credibility and legitimacy to the cell-based meat industry, as consumers are more likely to trust products that have the backing of well-established and reputable companies. Consumer perception towards cell-based meat is evolving. While it remains a nascent concept, there is a growing awareness of its potential to revolutionise the meat industry. This is spurred on by recent approvals for consumer consumption and tasting, as well as increased collaboration and investments. Familiarity has emerged as a powerful catalyst for acceptance, while concerns surrounding taste, safety and technology integration persist, highlighting the need for education and awareness-building efforts. In the years ahead, we anticipate an increasing number of cell-based products shedding their “Frankenfood” image and making a meaningful impact on consumers’ lives. 30November 2023© Good Meat© Believer Meats© Blue Nalu© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

November 202331Israeli start-up BioBetter has developed a new technology based on the tobacco plant’s protein-expression platform, oering a versatile solution poised to drive commercial viability within the cell-based meat industry. In September, The Cell Base attended the opening of BioBetter’s first food-grade pilot facility located near the city of Qiryat Shemona in northern Israel. Here’s what we discovered... BioBetter was founded by Oded Shoseyov, entrepreneur, researcher and professor of protein engineering and nano-biotechnology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem; Dana Yarden, a biotech business expert; and Avi Tzur, an industrialist with a vision to put tobacco plants to positive use. Established in 2015, BioBetter has pioneered a unique protein manufacturing platform for producing growth factors (GFs) that uses tobacco plants as self-sustained, animal-free bioreactors. By turning tobacco plants (Nicotiana sylvestris) into natural bioreactors, the start-up says it could bring the cost of GFs for cell-based meat down from the normal range of $50,000-$1 million per gram to just $1 per gram. Cell-based meat requires GFs to stimulate cell development and dierentiation and supplement cell culture media. GFs take up to anywhere between 55-95% of the marginal cost of manufacturing cell-based foods, according to the Good Food Institute (GFI). They are usually gathered from livestock or made through fermentation – both of which are costly and complex. Foetal bovine serum – which provides a mix of the most important factors required for cell attachment, growth and proliferation – has conventionally been used in cell-based meat production due to its richness in nutrients and GFs. However, this serum has been flagged as unsustainable, unethical and not scalable, due to its process of being harvested from the blood of foetuses taken from pregnant cows. BioBetter’s process can produce various bovine GFs, including FGF2, transferrin and insulin. The company’s newly established facility has the capacity to process 100kg of tobacco plant-derived GFs daily with several thousand square metres of bovine-insulin and FGF2-expressing tobacco plants already thriving in northern Israel. Throughout our time at the facility, BioBetter’s ingenuity shined through every facet of its operations. For starters, the plants can be irrigated with recycled, low-quality or even salt water. “Tobacco grows on every continent besides Antarctica,” said BioBetter’s chief research and development ocer, Yonatan Eran. “Furthermore, tobacco plants can reach 2.5 metres tall in less than three months.” Co-founder Dana Yarden added: “We can grow tobacco four times per year, with a high yield, and when you cultivate the crop, it grows back”. “Nothing goes to waste,” she enthused. “We remove the nicotine, which can be used as a natural pesticide, and the remaining material can be used as animal feed or even used within construction”. Yarden said that while tobacco plants are grown on most continents, they do require warm weather to thrive. She mentioned that in areas with colder climates, the plantscould be grown in quantity in vertical farming facilities, and that the plants can flourish even in extreme weather, having withstood temperatures of 50°C this spring. The growth factor © 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

32November 2023The topic of growth factors – namely their cost – is one proliferating the cell-based space, but the reality is that novel approaches to their production could provide industry-changing solutions. BioBetter’s CEO, Amit Yaari, explains how the start-up is tackling the issue of cost parity by harnessing the power of tobacco plants as natural bioreactors. The pressing need for sustainable meat alternatives is underscored by the environmental challenges associated with the traditional meat industry. Cultivated meat emerges as a potential solution, although high production costs, largely driven by the requirement of GFs for cell growth and dierentiation, pose a significant hurdle. The GFI emphasises a drastic cost reduction in essential GFs to make cultivated meat economically viable, especially as demand for GFs is projected to surge with the scaling of the industry. BioBetter addresses this challenge by utilising tobacco plants as “bioreactors” for recombinant protein production, tackling the high cost and scalability issues associated with GF production. This innovative approach demonstrates several advantages over traditional fermentation-based bioreactors used for protein production: • Unlimited scalability: Plant molecular farming enables easy large-scale cultivation in open fields or indoor farms, in stark contrast to the scalability challenges faced by precision fermentation which requires heavy capital expenditure (CAPEX) for facility expansion. • Low CAPEX: The upfront investment required for bioreactor facilities is substantial, whereas plant-based protein production leverages existing agricultural infrastructure, significantly reducing the initial capital required. • Reduced production cost: Operational costs associated with bioreactor-based microbial protein production are high. In contrast, plants require minimal operational intervention post- sowing, leading to lower production costs. Additionally, BioBetter’s patented technique employs o-the-shelf equipment for protein purification, further augmenting cost savings. • Sustainability: Plant-based systems have a lower environmental footprint, utilising solar energy, sequestering carbon dioxide and requiring markedly lower water and energy compared to bioreactor-based systems. • Protein complexity and advantages: Plants mirror mammalian systems in protein folding, assembly and glycosylation, making them superior to prokaryotic systems for expressing complex proteins like GFs. © Alexander Seleznyov© Rotem GolanTowards a better food industry 32November 2023© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

November 202333Why tobacco? The choice of tobacco as a bioreactor plant brings additional advantages, simplifying regulatory navigation since it’s not a food crop and ensuring safety in open-field cultivation as the end products are not consumed directly. BioBetter’s sterile transgenic tobacco plants, incapable of flowering or seed generation, minimise genetic material escape and channel energy into vegetative growth, easing the transition to large-scale production while reducing CAPEX and ensuring environmental safety. Our precision-controlled inducible expression system optimises resource allocation, allowing up to four cultivation cycles yearly and enhances safety by limiting recombinant protein presence to a week before harvest. This approach significantly amplifies expression levels and mitigates environmental and developmental risks. As BioBetter expands its operations initially within Israel, with a strategic plan to extend to the US within the next three years, the roadmap not only leverages the inherent advantages of tobacco plants for large-scale manufacturing but also aims at meeting the growing demand for GFs harmoniously with the regulatory landscapes of these regions. Better tech Our patented purification method hinges on GFs genetically linked to a cellulose binding domain (CBD) for ecient separation. This unique CBD-GF combination ensures remarkably ecient isolation of the transgenic protein from the entire plant protein fraction. The utilisation of simple o-the-shelf equipment for protein purification further lowers costs, marking a departure from conventional, capital-intensive GF production methods. In our eorts to demonstrate the ecacy of our GFs, we have distributed FGF2 and insulin samples that have undergone rigorous testing in almost 100 trials conducted by leading global companies within the cultivated meat and media sectors. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with our products performing comparably to commercial alternatives. These tests included diverse applications, such as bovine, poultry and fish cells, in which our growth factors stimulated significant cell proliferation. To produce more complex meat products like whole-cut steaks, several cultivated meat companies are venturing into the development of edible scaolds. These scaolds are essential for enabling the precise attachment, dierentiation and maturation of cells, thereby mimicking the 3D architecture of natural meat. BioBetter is leading this innovative frontier, providing advanced tools specifically designed to support cell growth on these edible scaolds. Our novel strategy employs the use of CBD-attached extracellular matrix proteins and peptides. These biomolecules bind to the cellulose in the scaold, forming a surface cover that replicates the features of connective tissue, creating an optimal environment for ecient cell attachment. This project is being co-developed with the lab of Oded Shoseyov from the Hebrew University. In a further innovative step, we plan to augment the scaolds with CBD-conjugated growth factors (CBD-GFs). These GFs play a crucial role in promoting the growth and dierentiation of newly attached cells on the scaold’s surface. The strategic placement of scaold-bound CBD-GFs near the attached cells significantly diminishes the necessity for large amounts of these expensive proteins in the growth medium, making the process more cost-eective. Moreover, we aim to introduce specific CBD-GFs to designated areas within the scaold, transforming these zones into “dierentiation hubs” for particular cell types. This meticulous approach facilitates the formation of structured meat tissue with high precision, paving the way for the production of more complex meat products. Our platform aligns with consumers’ environmental and animal welfare concerns, oering a sustainable, animal-free solution. The collaborative eorts with industrial and academic partners are yielding promising preliminary results, demonstrating that BioBetter’s CBD-conjugated proteins eectively adhere to a diverse range of scaolds, providing solid support for cell growth and dierentiation. Amit Yaari, CEO at BioBetterNovember 202333© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

34November 2023Future of Protein ProductionThe event kicked o with an introduction from Marina Schmidt, founder of Red to Green: Food Tech Podcast, who shared an essential message: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This truly set the tone for a collaborative and forward-thinking gathering. Safety first One of the crucial topics discussed was food safety within novel food production, with insights from Masami Takeuchi, food safety ocer at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.Takeuchi emphasised the importance of nomenclature in a world with over 6,500 languages. The working definition agreed for use in the FAO expert consultation was “cell-based food” to minimise potential confusion for consumers – much to The Cell Base’s joy. Mark Post, Dutch pharmacologist and a prominent figure in the field, highlighted the pressing need for alternative proteins. He cited the progress made since he himself unveiled the world’s first cell-based hamburger in 2013, referencing serum-free applications, the identification of dierent cell sources, new bioprocesses and the application of animal-free non-replicative models, as major strides in the right direction. A panel discussion explored the balance between sustainability and commercial viability in alternative proteins, with insights from industry leaders discussing the significance of scaling, renewable energy and using byproducts to create sustainable and cost-eective production methods. The event’s second day featured a panel on Europe’s potential to lead in complementary proteins, underscoring collaboration, engagement with authorities and the importance of tastings to promote the sector. Start-up spotlight Innovative start-ups were also in the spotlight. Companies like Bosque Foods, Poseidona, Upstream Foods and Vivici are working on sustainable and aordable alt-protein approaches, transforming the landscape. Nesli Sözer from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland presented a forward-thinking hybrid approach that combines yeast, fungi and berry cells to revolutionise alt-protein production, reducing water use, land requirements and greenhouse gas emissions. All in all, the event demonstrated the recent significant steps forward in the world of cell-based foods and alt-proteins. The insights shared by experts, start-ups, investors and industry leaders highlighted the importance of collaboration, sustainability and innovation in shaping the future of protein production. With continued funding and R&D eorts, the alt-protein industry is poised to oer consumers sustainable and delicious choices while addressing the environmental challenges of traditional animal agriculture. As Post put it: “I think we need to have a longer horizon than 2030, not to get products to market – we already have that – but to get to full potential.” The Cell Base attended the Future of Protein Production’s LIVE event at the RAI convention centre in Amsterdam – two days that brought together experts and pioneers in the field of alternative-protein production. EVENT REVIEW© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

November 202335Future of Protein ProductionWe need to have a longer horizon than 2030 to reach full potentialEVENT REVIEW© 2023 FoodBev Media Ltd. Reproduced with the permission of FoodBev Media – www.foodbev.com

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