Researchers at University College London (UCL) have found that leftover yeast from beer brewing can be used to create edible scaffolds for lab-grown meat. This approach could provide a more sustainable and cost-effective method for producing cultivated meat, which involves growing animal cells on an edible structure in the laboratory.
The study, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, investigated how bacterial cellulose grown from spent brewer's yeast could serve as a base for cultivated meat production. Bacterial cellulose is known for its strength and has been used historically in foods such as nata de coco, as well as in medical applications like 3D-printed bandages.
Professor Richard Day, senior author of the study from UCL Division of Medicine, said: "Cultivated meat has the potential to revolutionise food production, but its success depends on overcoming key technical challenges.
"While it's relatively easy to grow animal cells for mass food production you need to be able to grow them on something cheap, edible and that preferably provides a structure that resembles real meat.
"Our research shows that brewing waste, which is often discarded, can be repurposed to grow bacterial cellulose with properties suitable for meat scaffolding. This could significantly reduce costs and environmental impact."
For their experiments, UCL researchers collected spent yeast from Big Smoke Brewing Company in Esher, Surrey. They used this material to culture Komagataeibacter xylinus bacteria, which produce high-quality cellulose. The team then assessed the mechanical properties of the resulting cellulose using a probe designed to measure characteristics such as chewiness and hardness.
Results showed that bacterial cellulose produced from beer waste was similar in quality to standard methods but had mechanical properties closer to those of natural meat products. Specifically, it exhibited lower hardness and chewiness than traditional scaffolds. The researchers also found that animal cells were able to attach themselves to these new scaffolds—a necessary step for lab-grown meat production—though they emphasized that further work is needed before commercial application.
Christian Harrison, first author of the study and a PhD student at UCL Division of Medicine stated: "One of the biggest hurdles in cultivated meat is replicating the 'mouthfeel' and texture of real meat. Our findings suggest that bacterial cellulose grown on brewing waste not only supports cell growth but also mimics the mechanical properties of meat more closely than other scaffolds.
"This opens up exciting possibilities for scalable, sustainable meat alternatives. In this study we collected a relatively small amount of raw material from one craft brewery, that would otherwise have gone to waste. But huge volumes of brewing waste are generated each year that could have a valuable use."
The project received support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
