This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Researchers found microalgae can be grown using waste from cultivated meat production, then processed and fed back into the system, replacing some of the expensive ingredients needed to grow new meat cells. The study is published in the journal Food Research International.
Melanie Oey from UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience said reducing costs was critical to making cultivated meat commercially viable. "From our calculations, we estimate we can reduce growth media costs somewhere between 60% and 90%," Oey said. "The algae could absorb leftover nutrients from cultivated meat waste while supplying oxygen to meat cells.
"The nutrients harvested from the microalgae could be returned to the system, creating a self-sustaining circular bioeconomy. "This greatly reduces the need for expensive growth factors and amino acids, which remain one of the largest hurdles to getting cultivated meat into supermarkets and onto dinner plates." In testing, researchers found the system produced more microalgae than was needed for nutrient recycling, potentially creating additional commercial opportunities for cultivated meat producers. Cultivated meat is grown from animal cells and is being developed as a potentially more sustainable and animal-friendly way to produce foods such as beef, lamb, pork and chicken.
Five countries have approved the sale of cultivated meat, with Australia and New Zealand the latest countries to give the green light. Through an Australian Economic Accelerator grant, UQ researchers are working with cultivated meat producer Magic Valley, which supplied waste material for the project, to explore how the closed-loop system could be integrated into large-scale production facilities. Magic Valley head of research and development Andrew Laslett said the research could be transformative for the cultivated meat industry.
"By helping reduce media costs, one of the sector's most significant barriers, this innovation could accelerate the pathway to commercial-scale cultivated meat production," he said. Oey et al, Microalgal co-cultivation meets media recycling: A pathway to serum and amino-acid reduction in cultivated meat, Food Research International (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2026.119627 Swati Mestri holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019.
She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space. Full profile → Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast.
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