·· ·· ··
Editor
CELL-AG

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Cultivated meat at industrial scale: Hygiene, externalized burdens, and the social conditions of meat wholesomeness.

Nutrition and health · 14 November 2026 · DOI 10.1177/02601060261497457

Industrial-scale cultivated meat is assessed as a more controlled alternative to intensive livestock, with consequences for food safety, ethics and fairness. The commentary compares livestock’s environmental footprint, animal harm, microbial hazards, dangerous work and uneven community exposure with cell culture using enclosed systems and batch tracking. It identifies possible gains in hygiene, lower reliance on slaughter and inclusion of people who reject conventional meat. Yet energy use, growth media, scaling, concentrated ownership, cost and public confidence remain unresolved, so tighter control alone cannot ensure wholesome or just meat.

Read the paper →

Related

Science digest

Upcycling Vegetable Waste Into Functional Food Ingredients via Synergistic Microbial Engineering and Artificial Intelligence.

Vegetable waste conversion could become more consistent when engineered food-grade microbes are paired with AI, which matters because variable feedstocks, resistant plant structures and fermentation toxins hinder industrial use. The review examines modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli, AI-guided enzyme design, metabolic models, process control and digital twins. It reports better conversion, toxin tolerance and batch consistency, with outputs including single-cell protein, flavour additives and packaging materials. The approach has merit, but the abstract provides no quantitative evidence of industrial performance.

14 November 2026

Science digest

Enzyme kinetics and engineering strategies for sustainable alternative protein production: From plant and microbial systems to cultivated meat.

The chapter examines how enzyme kinetics and engineering could improve proteins made from plants, microbes, algae, precision fermentation and animal cell culture, a key issue for product quality and scale-up. It reviews inhibition, catalysis and models for mixed protein substrates, alongside uses of transglutaminases, carbohydrases and lipases. It also assesses rational design, immobilisation, directed evolution, computational methods and links between kinetic models and bioreactors. The authors conclude that combining these tools can improve food properties and production efficiency, though the abstract reports no new experimental evidence.

14 November 2026

Science digest

Shaping the Future Plate: Exploring the Safety Concerns of Cultivated and Conventional Meat Production

Cultivated meat may reduce some health and environmental harms linked to livestock, but unresolved risks make safety testing and regulation essential. The authors review evidence on consumption safety and compare cultivated products with conventional meat. They report potential reductions in zoonotic disease and antibiotic resistance, alongside concerns about genetic modification and diseases associated with affluent diets. They also cite lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduced land and water use. Safe adoption depends on rigorous assessment and clear regulatory rules.

14 November 2026