Blood from slaughter pigs can substitute foetal bovine serum (FBS) in cultivation media and Matrigel for cell attachment: an option for cultivated meat production

Abstract Foetal bovine serum (FBS) has been used as a supplement for many years to support proliferation of cells in vitro, including satellite cells. Satellite cells have been recognised as a good starting material to produce cultivated meat, where proliferation in large numbers is important to scale up the production of cultivated meat. In addition, for adherent cells, Matrigel maintains the support and attachment to the surface. Finding alternatives to FBS and Matrigel is pivotal for lowering the cost and environmental impact of cultivated meat production. Here we suggest the upcycling of adult animal blood from the slaughterhouses as a circular bioresource approach. Different fractions of blood can be used to substitute FBS and Matrigel. In the study, we investigated if serum, plasma, and platelet (lysate) from 3- and 6-month-old pigs, could be used to substitute commercially available FBS, and if cryoprecipitate and/or fibrin could be used as supporting agent instead of Matrigel. Adult animal blood serum could 1:1 replace FBS in supporting cell proliferation, and fibrin supported attachment, proliferation and differentiation as efficiently as Matrigel, achievements that would lower the cost of cultivated meat and maintain the bio-economical circulation.