The science for cultured meat is an outgrowth of the field of biotechnology known as tissue engineering.[69] The technology is simultaneously being developed along with other uses for tissue engineering such as helping those with muscular dystrophy and, similarly, growing transplant organs.[21][70] There are several obstacles to overcome if it has any chance of succeeding; at the moment, the most notable ones are scale and cost.
Proliferation of muscle cells: Although it is not very difficult to make stem cells divide, for meat production it is necessary that they divide at a quick pace, producing the solid meat.[70] This requirement has some overlap with the medical branch of tissue engineering.
Culture medium: Proliferating cells need a food source to grow and develop. The growth medium should be a well-balanced mixture of ingredients and growth factors. Scientists have already identified possible growth media for turkey,[71] fish,[72] sheep[73] and pig[74] muscle cells. Depending on the motives of the researchers, the growth medium has additional requirements.
Commercial: The growth medium should be inexpensive to produce. A plant-based medium may be less expensive than fetal bovine serum.
Animal welfare: The growth medium should be devoid of animal sources (except for the initial "mining" of the original stem cells).
Non-Allergenic: While plant-based growth media are "more realistic," will be cheaper, and will reduce the possibility of infectious
agents, there is also the possibility that plant-based growth media may cause allergic reactions in some consumers.
Bioreactors: Nutrients and oxygen need to be delivered close to each growing cell, on the scale of millimeters. In animals this job is handled by blood vessels. A bioreactor should emulate this function in an efficient manner. The usual approach is to create a sponge-like matrix in which the cells can grow and perfuse it with the growth medium.
Additionally, there is no dedicated scientific research discipline for cellular agriculture and its development. The past research undertaken into cellular agriculture were isolated from each other, and they did not receive significant academic interest. Although it currently exists, long-term strategies are not sufficiently funded for development and severely lack a sufficient amount of researchers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultured_meat
