Cultivated meat production has long moved past the stage of laboratory experiments. Today, it is much closer to a modern food production facility, a state-of-the-art brewery, or a high-tech kitchen. In fact, right now we are building one of the largest production factories in Europe. To manage it successfully, we must have 100% control over everything happening on our production lines, just like a master brewer closely monitoring every batch of beer.
Imagine our cultivation medium as a rich, perfectly tailored, nutrient-filled broth in which the cells grow and thrive. Our production technologists manage this process, but they need precise data to do so. And that is exactly where our analytical team comes in.
While biochemists are the ones working directly with the cells, the analytical team acts as their eyes and interpreter. They tell them what is happening in the cultivation medium, what the cells thrive on and consume, what they lack, and what waste products they excrete.
Without overcomplicating things with chemical jargon, we will now take you behind the scenes to show you everything we monitor and why the success of BeneMeat depends on it.
What Technological Instruments Do We Use?
To find and count specific molecules in a single drop of liquid, we need high-quality equipment. At BeneMeat’s laboratories, we rely on two main methods for separating substances:
- Liquid Chromatography (HPLC): Think of it as a highly efficient filter. We separate substances based on how they flow under high pressure through a special column. Because each substance travels at a different speed, allowing us to separate them perfectly.
- Capillary Electrophoresis (CE): This method uses an electrical current to separate substances. It is extremely fast and excellent for monitoring charged (ionic) particles.
Once we separate the substances using HPLC or CE, we need to correctly identify them and find out exactly how much of them is there. To do this, we have a whole army of specialized detectors connected to these instruments:
- Mass Spectrometer (MS): Our heaviest caliber. It can identify and measure substances based on their exact molecular weight, even in incredibly low concentrations.
- UV-VIS Detector: Monitors how much ultraviolet or visible light a given substance absorbs.
- Refractometric Detector (RID): Measures how much a substance bends a beam of light (the change in the refractive index).
- Fluorescence Detector (FLD): An extremely sensitive instrument. It can capture substances that emit their own light after being exposed to a specific wavelength.
- Conductivity Detector (C4D): Measures changes in the electrical conductivity of the solution without direct contact with the electrodes, which we use in combination with capillary electrophoresis to monitor even the smallest charged ions and acids.
What Exactly Do We Monitor in the Cells’ “Menu”?
Imagine the cultivation medium as a perfectly balanced cocktail. Our job is to monitor how quickly nutrients disappear from it and what accumulates instead. We focus on three main areas:
1. Sugars (Carbohydrates) as Primary Fuel
What we measure: Primarily glucose concentration before, during, and after the cultivation process.
Why it interests us: Sugars are to cells what gasoline is to a car. By tracking how quickly sugar disappears from the medium, we can precisely determine the metabolic rate of the cells. If sugar runs out, the cells starve. Conversely, if too much remains, it means the process wasn’t efficient, unnecessarily driving up medium costs. We are looking for the perfect balance.
2. Vitamins and Amino Acids aka the Building Blocks
What we measure: A comprehensive spectrum of amino acids and water-soluble vitamins.
Why it interests us: These micronutrients are absolutely crucial for proper cell growth and the formation of the final product. We monitor not only how much the cells consume them but also their stability, meaning whether they degrade on their own in the medium before the cells have a chance to use them.
3. Metabolic Products (Monitoring Cell Stress)
What we measure: Various intermediates of the Krebs cycle, particularly lactic acid (lactate), as well as acetic or formic acid.
Why it interests us: Every living organism produces waste during its life processes. However, if too much lactate accumulates in the closed environment of a cultivation tank, it can become toxic to the cells, acidify the medium, and halt growth. The analytical team can warn the biochemists in time that the cells are under stress, long before anything goes wrong.
The Path to “Perfect” Meat
The work of our analytical team might not be as immediately visible as the cultivation tanks themselves, but it is precisely this careful work with data and charts that allows BeneMeat to push the boundaries of the entire industry.
By thoroughly understanding the biological needs of our cells, we can optimize production, reduce costs, and bring cultivated meat closer to the moment it becomes a common, sustainable, and safe staple on store shelves.
The Technology is Ready, We Are Waiting for the Rules of the Game
Meticulous optimizing production and building our factory has put us in a very unique position: technologically, we have actually outpaced current regulations.
Our cultivated meat already meets the strictest quality and purity standards today. However, while global and European legislation is still finding ways to regulate and approve cultivated meat for human consumption, we are wasting no time. Therefore, in the first phase, we are offering a high-quality, clean ingredient for pet food, where regulations are more clearly defined. Our cultivated meat thus becomes a key component of premium meat products, nutritious wet food, and healthy treats.
And as soon as legislation catches up with the reality of modern food tech, we will be 100% ready to serve cultivated meat not only to pets but also to their owners.
