Overcoming the Growth Factor Bottleneck in Cultivated Meat: Encapsulation, Autocrine Production, and the Transition from Pharma to Food

Cultured meat (CM) offers a sustainable and humane alternative to traditional livestock production, yet its path to commercialization is obstructed by the high cost and inherent instability of recombinant growth factors (GFs). These GFs, essential for cell proliferation and differentiation, can account for up to 90% of media costs. This review examines evolving GF delivery strategies, specifically focusing on encapsulation technologies and autocrine production. Encapsulation utilizes food-grade biopolymers to shield GFs from environmental degradation and enable controlled, spatiotemporal release within bioreactors. Methods including spray drying, hydrogels, and nanoencapsulation are assessed for their ability to enhance bioavailability and reduce waste. Parallelly, autocrine production via genetic engineering aims to eliminate exogenous GF requirements, though it faces challenges regarding initial growth rates and regulatory scrutiny. The “pharma-to-food” transition introduces significant hurdles, including the need for industrial-scale bioprocessing, stringent safety regulations from agencies like the FDA and EFSA, and the necessity of maintaining consumer trust regarding “naturalness”. The review identifies critical literature gaps, notably the lack of long-term stability data in large-scale bioreactors and the need for comprehensive techno-economic analyses. Addressing these gaps through hybrid strategies combining encapsulation with engineered cell lines is vital for making CM a price-competitive, mainstream reality.