Trials using bioreactors with capacities ranging from 20 to 200 liters will be conducted at a site in the province of South Holland. The goal is to determine what works on a farm-scale basis, what the costs are, and what the yield is, according to Kazinform, citing the NL Times.
The project’s creators claim that the cultured meat is virtually indistinguishable from conventional meat in both taste and texture. Moreover, the technology allows for modifying the product’s composition by adjusting the levels of proteins, fats, and other nutrients. In the future, this could enable producers to create meat with predetermined properties.
This year, the farm will also open an interactive center that will allow farmers, students, and visitors to observe the production of cultured meat and serve as a meeting place for researchers, food companies, students, and policymakers.
The initiative is based on the work of Dutch scientist Willem van Eelen, who, shortly after World War II, proposed the idea of producing meat from animal cells without slaughter. He obtained a patent, but high production costs hindered the project’s development. Now, his daughter, Ira van Eelen, is playing a leading role in this initiative.
A fully operational pilot farm is expected to be launched by 2028.
It is worth noting that the commercial sale of cultured meat is not yet permitted in the European Union.
