The day is approaching when chicken cultured meat, grown in a laboratory, can be delivered as a late-night snack. Japanese scientists have succeeded in growing chicken pieces the size of nuggets by supplying oxygen and nutrients to cells through microtubules. This marks a significant advancement as it goes beyond simple ground meat and grows into chunks like real meat.
Shoji Takeuchi, a professor at the University of Tokyo in Japan, noted on the 17th, "We have succeeded in cultivating a solid piece of meat weighing about 11 grams, measuring 2 cm in thickness, 7 cm in length, and 4 cm in width." The research results were published that day in the international journal Trends in Biotechnology.
Cultured meat is made from cells taken from living animals and grown in a laboratory. This cultured meat has a significant difference in that it used an artificial circulatory system. The researchers delivered oxygen and nutrients to chicken muscle cells through hollow fibers that are empty inside.
Existing cultured meat technology struggled to create solid meat due to the failure to properly deliver oxygen and nutrients to the cells at the center, causing them to die. However, this time, they created solid pieces of meat by supplying necessary components through more than 1,000 hollow fibers.
Professor Shoji Takeuchi from the University of Tokyo stated, "We were able to evenly deliver oxygen and nutrients to the center of the cells, enabling the meat to grow thicker and more consistently," adding that "this technology could replicate not only chicken but also beef, pork, and even fish into solid meat."
As this technology advances, it will be possible to produce meat with textures and fibers similar to chicken breast or chicken thighs, going beyond simple nuggets. Professor Takeuchi said, "By changing the fiber spacing, direction, or flow patterns, we can realize various textures, such as softer or chewier meat."
Of course, this cultured meat cannot be eaten right away. The hollow fibers must be removed by hand from the meat. The research team is developing methods to replace the hollow fibers with edible cellulose fibers and to preserve various textures by leaving them in the meat after cultivation. They may also expand to functional meats that enhance the immune system of the elderly by adding nutrients such as zinc or selenium.
Derrick Stewart, a professor at the James Hutton Institute in the UK, evaluated the cultured meat as "looking like real chicken, realizing a size and shape that can be instinctively accepted," and described it as "an innovative and elegant solution." He expressed expectations for the infinite applications of cultured meat, suggesting that if marinara sauce is injected through the hollow fibers, chicken tikka masala nuggets could be made.
The use of artificial blood that can deliver more oxygen to the meat tissue is also being considered. Professor Takeuchi projected that "currently, the production cost of the meat is high, making it more expensive than ordinary chicken," but added, "if a mass production system suitable for food is completed, prices could significantly decrease and commercialization could be possible within 5 to 10 years."
The global cultured meat market is growing rapidly. According to a global market research organization, the cultured meat market is projected to reach $20.04 billion (approximately 28 trillion won) by 2029, with an annual growth rate of 16.2%. Some reports estimate that by 2036, the market size will reach $100.88 billion (approximately 143 trillion won), reflecting an annual growth rate of 50.8%.
Cultured meat is being sold in some countries. GOOD Meat, a subsidiary of the U.S. food tech company Eat Just, became the first in the world to receive approval for the sale of cell-cultured chicken in Singapore in 2020. Aleph Farms received sales approval for its beef cultured meat made using three-dimensional printing technology that layers cells in Israel last year.
References
Trends in Biotechnology (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.02.022