What is Cellular Agriculture?
“Cellular agriculture” is an emerging field of research encompassing old and new technologies alike.
While definitions are fluid and evolving, New Harvest set a standard for the field by naming cellular agriculture in 2015.
DEFINING A NEW FIELD
Cellular agriculture is the production of agricultural products from cell cultures rather than traditional agriculture.
Coined by the New Harvest community in 2015, the term “cellular agriculture” (“cell ag” for short) describes the use of various biotechnologies to produce agricultural products without requiring the entire organism.
Broadly speaking, cellular agriculture utilizes technologies and techniques initially developed for biomedical/health applications and adapts them for larger scale applications.
Much of the current industry is focused on animal-based food products made without animal husbandry, such as meat, milk, and eggs, however the concept can be applied to many other products, from coffee and chocolate to collagen, human milk, and cannabinoids.
The most popularized example of cellular agriculture is cultured meat and seafood (also known by other names such as cultivated, cell-cultured, or cell-based meat)
OUR WORKING DEFINITION
How New Harvest defines “cellular agriculture” and the scope of our work to date
To New Harvest, cellular agriculture refers to the production of food and other agricultural products using cultured microbial, algal, plant, insect, or animal cells, often within bioreactors. These so-called “cell factories” can produce proteins, fats, and other ingredients for food, feed, or other farmed or harvested products that face climate-related, disease-related, or ethical production issues.
While our definition is broad, the scope of our work tends to focus on the most neglected, and thus highest impact, aspects of cellular agriculture.
Thus far, New Harvest’s work has focused on advancing food applications of cellular agriculture which replace animal products and rely on agricultural inputs.
MODERN TECHNIQUES, ANCIENT TECHNOLOGIES
Biotechnology began in agriculture.
The history of biotechnology began in agriculture. Humanity has been transforming foods with cell cultures for centuries through fermentation.
Beer and yogurt, for example, began as agricultural products in open clay pots, transformed by living cultures in the air. Today, they begin as agricultural products in large stainless steel tanks, transformed by well understood, high-performing cell cultures.
Not only did fermentation improve food preservation, it unlocked a vast array of culinary experiences, by altering texture, unlocking new flavor profiles,
Cellular agriculture is an extension of this 13,000 year old biotechnology, albeit with modern techniques that allow for greater control, precision, and predictability.
NEW TERM, OLD CONCEPTS
We have been making agricultural products from cell cultures since the 1970s.
CASE STUDY:
FROM ANIMAL INSULIN TO RECOMBINANT HUMAN INSULIN
The first time an agricultural product was produced via cell culture over animal husbandry was in the late 70s with the invention of recombinant insulin.
Insulin was originally sourced from the pancreases of farmed animals, a byproduct of animal agriculture. Human patients injected animal insulin, which which was subject to inconsistent and variable supply. A fear of “peak pancreas” threatened the availability of insulin for a growing population of diabetic patients.
In 1978, a team of researchers engineered a microorganism to produce human insulin. It was easier to standardize and establish a stable supply of recombinant human insulin than animal-derived insulin.
This new, recombinant insulin became commercially available in 1982. Today the vast majority of insulin used worldwide is made in cell culture, not in animals.
CASE STUDY:
FROM RENNET TO FERMENTATION-DERIVED CHYMOSIN
The first time we produced an animal product via cell culture over animal husbandry for food was in the late 90s with the invention of fermentation-derived chymosin. Chymosin is the main functional enzyme in rennet, used to turn milk into cheese.
Rennet is a complex set of enzymes used to make milk into cheese. It was originally primarily sourced from the fourth stomach of young, nursing calves, a byproduct of veal production. Rennet performed variably, depending on the breed and age of the animal. Supply was also limited by the availability of calves.
In the late 1980s a team of researchers engineered a microorganism to produce chymosin, the main functional enzyme in rennet. Because it is one enzyme instead of the variable mixture of proteins in animal rennet, it is easier to standardize functionality and establish a stable supply of fermentation-derived chymosin than animal rennet.
This new, recombinant chymosin became commercially available in 1990. Today fermentation-derived chymosin makes up at least 90% of the global market share of rennet.
A DYNAMIC TERM
Cellular agriculture is a term with evolving definition(s).
Cellular agriculture has been defined multiple times across several publications, regulatory documents, and government websites.
As a new term, the boundaries of cellular agriculture’s definition are porous and evolving.
The products and technologies which “count” or “do not count” as cellular agriculture vary depending on context, region, and the individual opinions of cellular agriculture practitioners.
Some definitions focus on the replacement of animal products. Others focus on food and food ingredients only. Others still include all plant or animal products produced from cell cultures, including cosmetics, medicines, animal feed, and pet food.
There is also debate about inclusion of novel, non-agricultural cellular-derived products like single-celled protein (SCP) or foods from rare/wild animal species.
Practitioners also debate which feedstocks should be considered relevant to cellular agriculture. The building block organic molecules of cellular agriculture could originate from agricultural, fossil fuel, or atmospheric sources.
New Harvest has thus far focused on advancing food applications of cellular agriculture which replace animal products and rely on agricultural inputs.
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