development of the alternative-protein field . “ That powers tech innovation and progress and commercialization , which stimulates the private sector ,” she says .
And research at UC Davis has skyrocketed . After David Block , professor and chair of viticulture and enology and professor of chemical engineering at UC Davis , heard a Good Food Institute representative speak at a Food Innovation and Engineering Conference in December 2018 , he and one of his chemical engineering grad students began the first research at UC Davis on cultivated meat . That grew to two grad students , supported by fellowship grants from New Harvest , a nonprofit research institute advancing cellular agriculture and the Good Food Institute . And when the UC Davis Cultivated Meat Consortium launched in fall 2019 to serve as a nucleus of knowledge and resource sharing among those interested in the new technology , it spearheaded the opportunity to apply for the National Science Foundation grant awarded in September , harnessing the power of 13 professors , their laboratories and Ph . D . students across seven departments . That brought UC Davis ’ funding to more than $ 4 million in research fellowships and grants to advance cultivated meat .
The goal of the five-year NSF grant is to research much of the technology about cultivated meat that ’ s unknown and make that knowledge public as quickly as possible , says Block , one of the grant ’ s principal investigators . That foundational science could launch many cultivated-meat companies into the competitive phase of development .
In addition to targeting key technological hurdles , researchers will study the industry ’ s viability and sustainability compared to traditional animal agriculture . While Block says some literature suggests cellular agriculture will be much more sustainable , the two processes are so different , it ’ s not initially clear to him whether it will be or not .
“ Life cycle analyses do project , on average , that energy use will not decrease as dramatically as land use , water use … and emissions . However , compared to conventional meat production , the energy savings , up to 45 percent , are substantial ,” says Huang .
“ I think very few people are looking specifically at chickpea , and to my knowledge , there ’ s no one who has the breadth of genetic diversity that we ’ re currently playing with .”
KATHRYN COOK Cofounder and CEO , NuCicer
Analysis of hypothetical models cited in the journal Trends in Food Science & Technology project that cultivated meat ’ s conventional energy use could have less of an impact on global warming than conventionally produced beef but more of an impact than conventional pork and poultry production , but it does point to the innovative potential of the industry to overcome that . “ Projections are even more optimistic when taking into consideration cultivated-meat facilities could use clean energy sources at scale ,” says Huang .
Even so , Block sees cellular agriculture as a supplement to animal agriculture rather than a replacement . “ We need more dietary protein sources with the growing population around the world , and I don ’ t think that ’ s going to be satisfied completely by traditional agriculture using current practices ,” he says . But he points out the tradition of ranching and its importance to our country and the challenges the emerging market may face to replace it .
With the new funding , Block says cultivated-meat companies and those that supply them are already reaching out , and he hopes that will lead to additional funding — and further research opportunities for roughly 30 faculty members and students in the UC Davis Cultivated Meat Consortium — as well as the formation of a hub that will attract many of the cultivatedmeat companies in the Bay Area to the Capital Region .
The NSF grant will also fund continuing education classes through UC Davis , providing the industry with the latest research and knowledge , just as it does for the wine industry .
As the future of cellular agriculture evolves , Block says the researchers at UC Davis will be the ones who train future employees for cultivated-meat companies and likens it to the university ’ s relationship with California ’ s wine industry .
“ One of the reasons the California ( wine ) industry is so strong and grew so quickly in quality is because there was a place like UC Davis that was creating a highly trained workforce , and I think that ’ s been really important to the state ,” he says . “ I can see that being similar for cultivated meat .”
Jennifer Junghans is interim special sections editor of Comstock ’ s . She holds degrees in biological sciences and horticulture , and writes about food systems , wildlife and conservation . More at www . jenniferjunghans . com .
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