Genome-scale metabolic models in cultivated meat: advances, challenges, and future directions

Cultivated meat is an emerging field that integrates stem cell biology, tissue engineering, and bioprocessing to create a sustainable alternative to conventional meat. However, its widespread adoption faces key metabolic challenges, including the need for serum-free media, optimization of cell line-specific growth conditions, and enhanced cellular engineering strategies. GEnome-scale Metabolic models (GEMs) have been instrumental in optimizing metabolic conditions for Chinese hamster ovaries, a powerhouse species for biomanufacturing, and they can be adapted to be used for cultivated meat in the same way. These models facilitate the transition to cost-effective, serum-free media and improve biomass production through metabolic flux analysis. Future advancements will require expanding publicly available metabolic data sets, refining cell line-specific models, and integrating transcriptomic and proteomic data to enhance predictive accuracy. By leveraging GEMs, cultivated meat production can overcome current limitations, paving the way for a scalable, sustainable, and economically viable alternative to traditional meat.