The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh's Roslin Institute have made a significant breakthrough in the field of cultivated meat, developing a reliable and stable source of pig fat cells that could transform the industry. This discovery offers a promising solution to one of the key challenges facing the cultivated meat sector – the ability to produce realistic animal fat at scale.

The new cell line, dubbed "FaTTy", is derived from early-stage stem cells that can efficiently produce fat tissue without the need for genetic modification. This is a notable achievement, as most animal stem cells typically lose their ability to reliably generate fat cells when grown in the lab, making large-scale production impractical.

"We didn't simply develop a tool, we made a very special discovery," said Tom Thrower, the lead researcher on the project. "The fact that these cells not only grow indefinitely but also retain their ability to become fat at such high efficiency is something we have never seen before in livestock stem cells. It opens the door to new possibilities in cultivated meat and beyond."

The development of the FaTTy cell line represents a significant step forward for the cultivated meat industry, which has long struggled to find a reliable and sustainable source of animal fat -– a crucial component in delivering the flavour and texture that consumers expect from traditional meat products.

"These fat cells have the potential to be a game-changer in the field of cultivated meat, and help make this a reality in the very near future," added Xavier Donadeu, the principal investigator on the project.

The Roslin Institute's breakthrough also offers an ethical and sustainable advantage over traditional animal-based fat production. By growing the fat cells in a laboratory setting, the process avoids the need for genetic modifications or animal-derived additives, making it a more ethical and environmentally-friendly solution.

The Roslin Institute is actively sharing the FaTTy cell production line with academic researchers and industry partners to support further advancements in cellular agriculture and fat biology. This collaborative approach aims to accelerate the development of cultivated meat products that can meet consumer demand while addressing ethical and environmental concerns.