Space F Co., Ltd. (CEO Kim Byung-hoon), an agricultural technology research company, announced on the 20th that it would unveil an updated prototype of cultured pork that was unveiled in March and new cultured beef and chicken meat. Seoul National University and Sejong University jointly participated in this prototype production, organized by Space F.
Space F's cultured pork prototype was manufactured in the same shape as Germany's Weisswurst (sausage) by reducing the content of support compared to existing products and realizing muscle tissue in a ratio similar to that of actual pork. Cultured beef was prepared in the form of hamburger patties and meatballs, and cultured chicken in the form of nuggets and tender products.
Through the 'muscle stem cell culture technique specialized for each animal species', which is a key technology for cultured meat production, Space F implemented muscle tissue by 3-dimensional differentiation technique using muscle stem cells extracted from cows, pigs and chickens using an edible scaffold. And through mass culture optimization, the cell culture period was shortened and the cell culture yield was increased.
In the existing cultured meat industry, fetal bovine serum (FBS) was mainly added to the culture medium for growing cells, but environmental, ethical, and price problems got in the way. Space F produced cultured meat by utilizing 'serum-free culture medium' and 'cell culture medium' developed by discovering substitutes for serum. The use of 'serum-free culture medium' is expected to play a decisive role in securing competitiveness by reducing manufacturing costs.
According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, the global market for alternative meat last year was estimated at $5.348 billion. Compared to the market size in 2016 ($ 3.817 billion), it grew by 40% in 5 years. Bloomberg predicts that the global meat substitute market will grow to $74 billion by 2030.
Space F, established in 2020, specializes in cultured meat and is conducting research and development with researchers from Seoul National University and Sejong University. We have already secured patents and original technologies, such as isolating and culturing muscle stem cells essential for cultured meat production, and developing serum-free culture medium. Last August, it attracted a series A worth 7 billion won, introduced a cultured pork prototype using pig stem cells, and is currently working on a business with the goal of commercialization in 2025.
In addition, Space F is currently working on a business agreement with Daesang Co., Ltd. to develop an edible culture solution with reduced unit costs, and Lotte Fine Chemical is jointly developing high-functional materials necessary for cultured meat production. In addition, in 2021, it was selected for the TIPS program supported by the Small and Medium Business Technology Information Agency and the second phase of the Industrial Technology Alchymist Project conducted by the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology and is carrying out the task.
“By comparing this prototype with existing cultured meat, we have established a base technology for unit cost reduction by optimizing mass production techniques and utilizing serum-free culture medium, and we have succeeded in producing a new type of prototype,” said Space F CEO Kim Byeong-hoon. We plan to accelerate the commercialization of cultured meat through collaboration and technological advancement.”
He continued, "We will actively respond to the various needs of consumers in the food market in the future by showing a wide spectrum of products using cells of various livestock species."
