Bioprocess Symposium «Passion for Bioprocessing» · 3 November 2026, Bern · free of charge Register ➜
Bioprocess Symposium «Passion for Bioprocessing» · 3 November 2026, Bern · free of charge Register ➜
Cellular agriculture is a rapidly emerging field of biotechnology that produces food, ingredients and materials directly from cell cultures, bypassing the need for conventional farming of whole animals or large-scale crop cultivation. It combines advanced cell biology, tissue engineering and bioprocess design to create cultivated meat, precision-fermented proteins, plant-cell-derived ingredients and other cellular food products in a controlled, scalable bioreactor environment.
Life cycle assessments consistently indicate that, depending on the energy source used, cellular agriculture products can require up to 99 % less land and significantly lower water consumption compared with conventional livestock farming. A 2024 peer-reviewed techno-economic study documented production costs already approaching price-parity with premium conventional meat products under optimised bioprocess conditions, marking a critical inflection point for the industry.
Cellular agriculture encompasses a diverse range of food and ingredient categories, each presenting distinct bioprocess requirements and commercial opportunities.
Animal muscle and fat cells are expanded in bioreactors to generate meat-like biomass from biopsy-derived myosatellite cells or stem cells, proliferated and differentiated into muscle fibers and adipocytes.
Plant cell culture in bioreactors enables production of protein-rich biomass and functional food ingredients without large-scale land use. Precision fermentation additionally allows biosynthesis of casein, whey and other dairy proteins identical to animal-derived counterparts.
Microbial and plant cell bioprocessing in controlled bioreactor environments enables the biosynthesis of complex aroma compounds — from vanilla and saffron to fruit esters — at reproducible quality and free from seasonal variability.
The cell culture process in bioreactors represents a critical step in cellular agriculture — enabling the scalable production of high-quality cellular products for food applications.
Selection or development of cell lines suitable for the desired product — such as muscle cells for lab-grown meat or yeast cells for protein production — carefully maintained for viability in the bioreactor.
Cell lines are inoculated into the bioreactor with nutrient-rich growth medium. Cells undergo exponential growth to rapidly increase numbers and establish a healthy population.
Cells continue to grow and proliferate under optimized conditions. Nutrients are continuously supplied to the bioreactor to support cell metabolism and sustain growth over an extended period.
Key parameters — cell density, viability, and product formation — are monitored in real-time. Advanced sensors and control systems allow precise adjustments to optimize cell growth and productivity.
Cell cultures at optimal density are scaled up from laboratory-scale bioreactors to larger production-scale systems, maintaining consistent culture conditions and cell population integrity.
Cells are harvested from the bioreactor once they reach the desired growth stage. Products may undergo additional processing to isolate and purify desired components for food or biotechnology applications.
The bioreactor is the central processing unit of every cellular agriculture workflow. Unlike conventional agriculture, where process control is largely indirect and subject to environmental variability, bioreactor-based cellular agriculture allows precise, real-time regulation of all critical growth parameters. The Applikon bioreactor portfolio covers the complete range of scales and process modes required for development and production — from media screening in mini-scale vessels to pilot and production bioreactors for continuous or fed-batch manufacturing.
| Bioreactor | Volume range | Vessel type | Operation mode | Application in cellular agriculture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applikon MiniBio | 250 mL – 1 L | Glass (autoclavable) | Batch, Fed-batch | Screening, media optimization, early cell line development for cultured meat, plant-based proteins, aroma compounds |
| Applikon Autoclavable Glass Bioreactor | 2 – 20 L | Glass (autoclavable) | Batch, Fed-batch, Perfusion | Bench-scale process development, scale-up studies, mammalian and stem cell culture, food ingredient and dairy analogue production |
| Applikon AppliFlex ST | 500 mL – 15 L | Single-use (flexible) | Batch, Fed-batch, Perfusion | Flexible, sterile development workflows; seed train expansion; cultured meat R&D where reduced cleaning and turnaround time is critical |
| Applikon Stainless Steel Bioreactor | Pilot to production scale | Stainless steel (CIP/SIP) | Batch, Fed-batch, Perfusion, Continuous | Large-scale production of cultivated meat, plant-based food, fermentation-derived proteins and aroma compounds; GMP-compatible manufacturing |
A structured cell culture process in bioreactors is critical to cellular agriculture — ensuring the scalable production of consistent, high-quality cellular products for food and biotechnology applications.
The process begins with the selection or development of cell lines suitable for the desired product — such as muscle cells for lab-grown meat or yeast cells for protein production. These cell lines are carefully maintained and cultured to ensure their viability and functionality in the bioreactor environment.
Once the cell lines are established, they are inoculated into the bioreactor along with a nutrient-rich growth medium. During the seed culture phase, cells undergo exponential growth — rapidly proliferating to increase their numbers and establish a healthy population within the bioreactor.
Following the seed culture, the main culture phase begins — cells continue to grow and proliferate under optimized conditions. Nutrients are continuously supplied to the bioreactor to support cell metabolism and sustain growth over an extended period.
Throughout the cell culture process, key parameters such as cell density, viability, and product formation are monitored and controlled. Advanced sensors and control systems within the bioreactor enable real-time monitoring, allowing for precise adjustments to optimize cell growth and productivity.
As cell cultures reach optimal density, they are scaled up from laboratory-scale to production-scale bioreactors while maintaining consistent conditions. Once cells reach the desired stage, they are harvested and products undergo additional processing steps to isolate and purify the desired components for food or biotechnology applications.
Cellular agriculture is transitioning from proof-of-concept demonstrations to early commercialization, but the path to widespread market presence involves overcoming a series of interconnected scientific, technical, regulatory and social challenges — alongside opportunities that could fundamentally reshape the global food system.
Moving from laboratory-scale cell culture to industrial bioreactor volumes creates gradients in nutrient concentration, dissolved oxygen and pH that can cause culture heterogeneity and suboptimal growth. Harmonized scale-up design and advanced control strategies are required to maintain product quality from bench to production scale.
Development of serum-free, food-grade, animal-component-free media formulations at competitive cost remains one of the most critical open challenges in the field. Plant-derived hydrolysates and recombinant growth factors are emerging as viable alternatives to animal-derived serum components.
Concerns around naturalness and safety act as significant adoption barriers. Clear regulatory frameworks defining safety assessment procedures, labeling requirements and approval pathways for cell-cultivated foods are essential for both consumer trust and the investment needed to build industrial-scale production capacity.
The environmental benefits of cellular agriculture are strongly dependent on the energy source used in production. Renewable energy integration and bioprocess efficiency improvements are therefore integral to the long-term sustainability case for cellular agriculture.
The trajectory for cellular agriculture is shaped by two parallel drivers: continued reduction in the cost of key inputs — particularly culture media and bioreactor capital — and progressive accumulation of process knowledge enabling more predictable, high-yield bioprocesses. Cellular agriculture is increasingly seen as a complementary technology that can diversify the food system, reduce pressure on scarce land and water resources, provide year-round supply independence and enable production of high-value food ingredients in urban or resource-constrained settings.
Our specialists support you throughout the entire bioprocess lifecycle — from system selection and application design to implementation, optimization, and long-term operation. We work closely with you to ensure reliable, compliant, and scalable solutions tailored to your requirements.
Reach out to discuss innovative approaches for your project.
Cellular agriculture harnesses biotechnology to cultivate animal and plant cells for food directly in a controlled environment, bypassing traditional farming methods. Unlike conventional agriculture, it does not require large-scale land use, livestock management, or seasonal growing conditions — enabling more efficient, sustainable, and consistent food production year-round.
Bioreactors serve as dedicated vessels designed to support cell growth and cultivation in cellular agriculture. They provide precisely controlled conditions — including temperature, pH, oxygen levels, and nutrient supply — that are essential for cell viability and productivity. They can accommodate various cell types and culture conditions, making them versatile tools for producing a wide range of cellular agriculture products.
Cellular agriculture supports the production of a diverse range of food products — including cultured meat (lab-grown meat from animal cells), plant-based proteins and dairy alternatives, and aroma compounds and flavours produced through fermentation. This diversification of food sources offers consumers more choices and promotes a more sustainable and resilient food system.
Cellular agriculture has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of food production — minimizing the need for large-scale land use, deforestation, carbon dioxide emissions, and water consumption. It also reduces the risk of contamination by pathogens through controlled production environments and opens up possibilities for urban farming and vertical agriculture.
The primary challenges include scaling production to meet consumer demand cost-effectively, gaining broader consumer acceptance through education and outreach, navigating evolving regulatory frameworks for novel food products, and continuing to advance bioreactor and cell culture technologies. Addressing energy consumption and waste management is also essential for ensuring cellular agriculture’s positive contribution to sustainability goals.
