Environmental Impacts of Serum-free Food-grade and Complex Culture Medium Production for Cultivated Meat

Abstract

Cultivated meat is an alternative meat produced via cell culture. The culture medium accounts for most of the environmental impact of cultivated meat production. This study quantitatively evaluated and analyzed the environmental impact of serum-free food-grade and complex culture medium production for cultivated meat by performing a life cycle assessment (LCA) based on activity data at the laboratory scale. In addition, specific measures were proposed to reduce the environmental impact further. LCAs were performed at current and future production scales. This study also evaluated the impact of multiple electricity sources on the environmental impact of culture-medium production. Expendables at the current scale, as well as electricity and animal-derived materials at both scales, are hotspots in the environmental impact of this culture-medium production. Among these components, the production of serum substitutes accounts for most of the environmental impact. As the scale shifts, the environmental impacts are expected to decrease by 11.3%-93.2% in all impact categories. As the composition of electricity sources changed, the impact on certain categories decreased. However, as the share of renewable energy increased, the impact on land use also increased significantly. This study promotes the practical application of new culture media for low-cost and low-environment-impact cultivated meat.