The Cultivated B makes cell-based protein production easier for “non-experts” via automated bioreactors

13 Dec 2023 --- Biotech firm The Cultivated B (TCB) is looking to make eco-friendly cellular agriculture a more straightforward process through a new automating software that can be operated by workers of varying skill levels. The personalized interface enables its commercially available bioreactor, AUXO V, to be monitored and controlled by anyone, from any location, with only a few days of training.

The software is accessible via the control tower or remotely via phone- and web-based platforms. It is being touted as a “significant leap” in the cultivated meat industry, offering “convenience, flexibility and efficiency” for expert and non-expert users who are cultivating sustainable and clean meat from animal cells or fermentation.

“Bioreactors were originally designed to be used by scientists for biopharma processes. This essentially is what sets TCB apart, as we focused on the redesign of bioreactors for application outside the pharma industry,” Dr. Janine Jung, scientific editor at TCB, tells Food Ingredients First.

“The notion that you need to be an expert to operate in this field is exactly what we want to challenge,” she stresses. “For cellular agriculture to contribute significantly to the food system, it needs to be scalable, which includes expanding the workforce able to operate it.”

“We prioritize including new user groups: non-experts without an academic background. We believe this is an essential key to industrial viability as we allow customers from the food industry to adapt new technologies to their existing workforce.”

The Cultivated B infographic detailing the process of selecting a an AUXO V bioreactor (Image credit: The Cultivated B).Dr. Jung sees smarter production devices that allow everyone access to new technology as a critical step in sustainable food transitions. “Different sensors in our bioreactors allow users to collect data for various key production parameters, such as temperature, pH and oxygen.”

Catering to varying operator skill levels
Earlier this year, TCB commenced manufacturing at the company’s Burlington, Ontario, US plant. Working with an interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers, it has taken the production of its AUXO V bioreactor from lab scale to industrial scale.  

The multi-use bioreactors are “cost-effective, flexible and customizable” and suitable for different food production purposes. They are equipped with multiple sensors and optimized impellers for different organisms, such as avian and mammalian cells, bacteria or yeast.

To address the need for non-experts to control bioreactor processes, TCB offers what is labeled as the “Operator Level.”

“[This level is] an intuitive design and pre-programmed recipes enable the user, with just a few days of training, to operate our bioreactor systems,” says Dr. Jung.

“Nevertheless, we neither wish to exclude experts from the operation nor cut short on the opportunities of such complex systems. Therefore, we included two additional levels of the interface: ‘The Researcher’ and ‘The Hacker.’”

Transformable scalability
Dr. Jung sees a “leap forward for bioengineering processes” in leveraging the platforms to overcome limitations of user groups while focusing on simplicity and scalability at the same time.

“With our offering, we can serve food producers at various stages: product formulation, upscaling and industrial production,” Dr. Jung tells us. 

“In terms of size range, we start from lab scale vessels (2L, 10L, 50L, 1,000L) to customizable industrial scale vessels (up to more than 20,000L),” she details.

“For smaller sizes, you can choose glass instead of stainless steel, which allows us to leverage organisms that require light to grow for food production.”

The output capacity of the AUXO V bioreactor is individualized and dependent on various aspects, Dr. Jung notes. “Factors such as the organism or cell type used for production and its specific production environment — such as the nutrients used for cultivation — heavily influence the output.”

“The production of certain products can be more challenging with respect to optimizing the yield. In terms of units produced per year, we cannot make a reliable statement at this early point since we just started to produce bioreactors this year. “

The Cultivated B facilities in Burlington, Ontario, US (Image credit: The Cultivated B).Short delivery times, modular design and a customer-centric control system make the AUXO V bioreactor a “huge accelerator” for the clean protein industry and can be quickly adopted in a rapidly changing market environment, details TCB.

Tailormade bioreactors
Dr. Jung says the requirements of TCB’s customers are “highly individual” and greatly depend on the intended usage. 

“Some favor off-the-shelf solutions, while others wish to include certain options of customization in their system,” she notes. “Moreover, the industry works with different production organisms at various scales. Therefore, there is no one answer that fits all.”

“With our rapid manufacturing, however, the bioreactor of choice might reach the customer’s facility sooner than anticipated compared to typical delivery times. Reaching out to our sales team is the best starting point to learn more about the process.”

Many believe the cultured meat movement to which TCB’s bioreactors cater, alongside precision fermentation, is poised as the next big revolution in food, at the heels of the plant-based momentum. Cell-based meat was a cornerstone at keynote speeches at roundtable talks at the recent COP28 summit in Dubai, while earlier this week Vow Foods’ cultivated quail received the “safe to eat” greenlight from Australian food standards regulators.

“We believe it is too early to limit our customer base to one industry,” asserts Jung. “TCB started by addressing the bioreactor bottlenecks for cellular agriculture by reducing delivery times, offering affordable solutions and simplifying operations for food-grade production purposes.”

“For the future, we envision our technology to suit the requirements of other sectors leveraging biotechnology as well — for instance, pharma, food, cosmetics and personal care.”

Cultivated quail by Vow Foods was greenlighted on the Australian market this week (Image credit: Vow Foods).Dr. Jung highlights that countries with a regulatory framework for cultivated meat in place — such as the US and Singapore — currently have a competitive edge when it comes to adoption in the market.

“As a B2B technology provider, TCB considers cell-based food as an additional offering to consumers rather than a replacement,” she continues. “The past years have shown that with changing consumer patterns, the offering amplifies and as of today, you find many plant-based alternatives next to conventional meat.”

However, progress has not equated ease for some pioneers in the alternative protein field. This week, Poland tabled a decision to bar the naming of plant-based meat alternatives with words too similar to meat products, such as “burger,” “sausage,” “steak,” “ham” and “escalope.”

As nations grapple with labeling restrictions on plant-based products, the FAO is taking a closer look at the language used for cultivated food particularly as the cell-based industry moves closer to widespread commercialization. 

Earlier this year, the FAO posed an intriguing question: “What terminology best suits food produced by cultivating animal cells in a tank?” 

By Benjamin Ferrer