Food safety considerations in the advancement of cultured meat: Evaluating novel ingredients

Cultured meat has been and continues to be explored as a sustainable alternative to traditional livestock farming. Despite its potential, challenges such as high production costs and the lack of a clear regulatory framework hinder its large-scale, cost-effective adoption. As the technology for producing cultured meat advances, new ingredients are continually being developed to enhance yield and reduce costs. Food safety remains a critical consideration throughout these innovations. This commentary examines emerging ingredients in cultured meat research, including alternatives to Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS), scaffolding materials and cell lines. It highlights the importance of developing culture media formulations that use FBS substitutes and evaluates studies on plant proteins, insect proteins, and recycled animal waste from a food safety perspective. Additionally, the article addresses concerns related to microplastics in cultured meat, including their sources and potential impacts. Emphasizing the need for comprehensive safety assessments, this review calls for thorough evaluation of each novel ingredient and process involved in cultured meat production.