Development of Cell-based Products
With the increasing availability of technologies based on cell cultures, many areas of traditional production have started the race to utilize these new possibilities. Even though many methods are still in their infancy, there is no question that an early build-up of the necessary know-how in this area and the development of corresponding end products can enable a successful start. The differences from the processes used so far are so significant that little proven experience can be relied upon.
As a service provider for the production and processing of industrially proliferated cells, for example, raw materials for food production (e.g., Cultivated Meat), we support our customers in all areas of this complex development and value chain. We can draw on years of expertise in this innovation area and guarantee reliable and reproducible results in our projects that ensure rapid progress.
The extensive effort required to develop and maintain robust cell lines and to ensure their application or further processing is often underestimated. Additionally, product development must consider factors such as consumer acceptance, supply chain, raw material availability, and demanding regulatory requirements.
Project Examples and Further Information
Those wishing to develop product innovations in this dynamic area cannot, contrary to the usual procedure in food development, rely on existing standard procedural steps. For this reason, besides a flexible response to this high dynamism, special creativity is regularly required.
Customer Needs in Focus
Surveys and forecasts show that the expected spread of cell-based innovative products in the coming decades will be astonishingly high. In addition to responding to scarcer resources and increased sustainability requirements, there is already a desire today to make products with high protein content and essential amino acids available without agriculturally produced animal raw materials.
Only some of these requirements can be covered by alternative approaches such as precision fermentation or new plant-based methods. It’s no wonder consumers particularly want meat products like burgers or steaks from cultivated meat. The first available prototype products also taste much more similar to meat than plant-based substitute products can so far.
Typical Value Chain in Cell-based Raw Material Production
Our customers are typically established companies from the food or pet food sectors or related industries that process animal proteins. Together with them, we develop market-ready and economically attractive products based on industrial cell cultures on an industrial scale. This includes not only the cell production process and the further processing of cellular raw materials but also the provision of robust, high-performance, and quality-assured cell lines and the monitoring of their use.
Our services enable our customers to build specific expertise. Together with them, we develop not only the product but also a resilient, cost-efficient process. We also support the implementation of measures to ensure the required quality.
Diversity of Possible Applications
Even though Cultivated Meat as a raw material for products in the food or pet food industry is prominently present at first glance, the application possibilities for cell-based procedures are diverse. Wherever it is about precisely and isolatedly proliferating cells of animal origin, our proliferation reactor and the various production methods can be used efficiently and precisely.
Key Product Features of Cell-based Products
Examples of the use and development of cell-based products:
- Cultivated Meat as a raw material for cruelty-free food
- Adding even exotic cell products to pet food, e.g., for animals with intolerances
- Development of vaccines or antigen test
- Replacement of animal testing with cultured tissue, e.g., for cosmetic tests
- Nutritional supplements with particularly high purity
In medical areas, simpler cell cultures are already used for industrial production on a large scale. However, cell proliferation still represents a special challenge.
How We Assist Our Customers
Replicating the biological processes for the proliferation of living cells requires close collaboration between experts from various fields such as cell biology, cell chemistry, cell-based process engineering, process engineering, and many others. Thus, cell cultures differ significantly from simpler biological processes, as we have known in breweries or cheese production for a long time. When quantitative scaling is then required, much know-how is needed.
In addition to purely cell biological and chemical work, we can offer support in various ways, for example, in:
- Prototypical developments of new raw materials, recipes, and processing
- Selection of suitable suppliers
- Product development for food, pet food, and other areas
- Support with regulations, e.g., documentation
- And in many other work areas.
The veritable boom around the industrial use of cells has triggered a high demand for experts in this field, where often only limited experience is available. Our team of knowledgeable experts offers a solution here: We provide comprehensive support in all relevant areas. From development to utilization, we successfully cover all phases of the process life cycle. In addition to our main work areas, we cover other fields through external partners with whom we have long-standing cooperation. These include tests for sensory/texture/nutritional physiology, food technology, nutritional medicine, and many more.
For various applicable methods of proliferation and further processing, we can fall back on our own patents, so risks can be minimized.
Advantages of Collaboration
Our services are beneficial for our clients in various ways:
- Use of standardized procedures and processes,
- Maximum customization and high flexibility of possible applications,
- Targeted, minimized work steps,
- Scientifically recognized approach (Credibility),
- Opportunity for later knowledge transfer,
- Use of the latest technologies and findings from research,
- A team of specialists from various disciplines,
- State-of-the-art laboratory capacities, for example, in our central laboratory in Lübeck,
- Comprehensive network of partners and suppliers,
- You save money and make your processes faster.
Quality and Certifications
To ensure that our development results can be optimally utilized, our services are always aligned with the current state of recognized scientific and technical procedures. This includes:
- Ensuring access to current scientific developments through close cooperation with the University of Lübeck and other companies,
- Co-organizing the symposium for industrial cell technology,
- Participation in publications,
- Alignment of laboratory processes with common standards,
- If desired, providing the necessary documentation for client certifications.
Project Examples and Further Information
If interested, we can describe illustrative projects for you, such as the development of hybrid products based on Cultivated Meat, with many technical details, to illustrate practical service packages. The relevant steps and interfaces vary significantly depending on the client profile. We are confident that cell-based products have a promising future and help our clients participate in this mega-trend.
Every application comes with its individual requirements. If you need targeted and professional support for the development of cell-based products, please share your detailed needs profile with us, so we can create a binding offer for you.
We are happy to provide you with further detailed information about our methods and expertise. You can send your inquiries and specifications via email to sales@celltec-systems.com, and we will respond promptly.