Cell-based protein, also known as cultivated or cultured meat, is genuine animal meat (including seafood and organ meats) that is produced by cultivating animal cells directly using a combination of biotechnology, synthetic processes and more. Because this production method eliminates the need to raise and farm animals for food, cell-based proteins have the potential to revolutionize the way food is produced, with major cost, environmental and global health and food supply benefits.

Factory farming is a major producer of greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient pollution. According to the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization, more than one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity can be attributed to the way we produce, process and package food. And a total of 14.5% of those come from livestock. However, based on data from two comprehensive new studies, cell-based meat could cause up to 92% less global warming, 93% less air pollution and use up to 95% less land and 78% less water compared to conventional beef production.

And while sustainability is a growing priority for businesses and consumers, the price of cell-based proteins must be comparable to meat that comes from animals in order to be widely adopted. The same two studies by CE Delft also found that by 2030, the cost of cell-based meat production could drop to $2.57 per pound based on scaling and renewable energy.

Investment, R&D and infrastructure in this rapidly growing industry will be critical to accelerating the development of cultivated meat, to protect the environment and address global food scarcity. JBT’s A&B Process Systems is stepping up to the plate to provide industry leading process systems for food innovators to scale the production of cell-based protein.

The Solution: JBT’s A&B Process Systems’ READYGo Bioreactor

In October, JBT’s A&B Process Systems, a leading manufacturer of custom biologic manufacturing equipment, launched the all-new READYGo Bioreactor for processing companies in the cultivated meats sector. 

Manufactured for operational environments spanning from pilot to full-scale production, the READYGo Bioreactor meets global standards for bio-processing with volumes ranging from as small as 20 to 20,000 Liters (Vw) for cell culture. Our systems are ideal for scale-up work, offering customers flexibility and customization tailored to their individual, unique processes. The solution was designed to help industry processors address issues such as scalability, lead time, and capital expense to meet the necessary needs of this expanding market without adding unnecessary costs to their production.

Regardless of where producers and innovators fall on the project continuum, from early phase development to fabrication, installation and qualification, A&B is able to provide mix studies and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis, preliminary design and budgeting, detailed design and 3D modeling, which is standard with all skids.

The JBT Difference: A&B’s Proven Experience, Expertise and Performance

A&B has more than 45 years’ experience in sanitary process piping in a variety of industries, and as a custom equipment manufacturer, we recognize our equipment needs to fit into our customer’s operational environment. As such, we work with all our customers’ preferred component suppliers, and where none exist, we can offer our recommendations based upon our vast experience. This includes agitation, instrumentation, and controls among others.

We understand that this is a capital-intensive sector, and we are committed to reducing downtime and completing your project within budget and on time from concept to completion. A&B is a vertically integrated supplier that controls our own supply chain by building our own vessels, integrating our skids, performing our own automation and installing our own systems. Further, by leveraging extensive Factory Acceptance Testing, we drastically reduce the time quired to install and ultimately commission your project.

These proven technologies and designs provide our customers with the necessary R&D and Pilot Production equipment in stainless steel systems to support long term scale-up plans, and with over 8 million linear feet of sanitary piping installed, A&B is able to manage the full installation and startup of your cell-cultivation suite. We also have the capability to retrofit or refurbish existing or used equipment to extend its lifespan.

Learn More

To learn more about A&B Process Systems and how we can help you grow your cell-based protein business, please visit our website. You can also learn more about each of JBT’s technologies and business units by visiting https://www.jbtc.com/foodtech.