College
College of Engineering
Department
Biological Engineering Department
Faculty Mentor
Ron Sims
Abstract
The goal of this ongoing research is to develop a more cost-effective process for culturing cells to produce synthetic or lab grown meat. Cellular agriculture is an emerging technology with potential to have a smaller energy footprint and decrease in land used for livestock compared to traditional meat production. Cellular agriculture will allow Utah to experience continued population growth without hampering the meat production of the state. However, currently the cost of producing synthetic meat is a constraint for expanding production and availability. This project is focused on testing various combinations of hydrolysates to determine a cost-effective alternative to current growth media. Yeast, wheat, soy, and algal hydrolysates are being tested in various combinations and cell growth is being monitored. The use of algal hydrolysates sets this work apart from contemporary research. Algal hydrolysates demonstrate a potential to be cheaper than current hydrolysates while still providing the cells with the needed nutrients. This research involves several phases of cell culturing. The first phase has involved the passaging of Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK) cells. These cells were selected due to their availability and stability for culture testing as well as the rapid growth they undergo in cultures. The HEK cells were used as a precursor to other mammalian cell types for the purpose of developing a protocol for the passaging and maintenance of mammalian cells. The second phase of the project will include analysis of the yield, confluency, cytotoxicity, and morphology of HEK cells after being cultured on various combinations of hydrolysates. These cultures will be repeated in triplicate to ensure accuracy in the results. Once the data from the cultures has been analyzed, chicken cells will be tested in the five hydrolysates with the most promising outcomes in HEK cultures.
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
1-25-2023
Recommended Citation
Barton, Elise; Mills, Melanie; Porter, Britton; and Walker, Elizabeth, "Is Feeding Algae to Lab- Grown Chicken the Future of Agriculture?" (2023). Research on Capitol Hill. Paper 128.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/roch/128