Chemical Engineering
The field of Cellular Agriculture, often discussed interchangeably with "cultured" or "cell-based" meat, seeks to domesticate single-cell versions of multicellular organisms like eukaryotic plants or trees. In essence, the goal is to cultivate consumable meat or plant materials from individual cells, bypassing the need to grow the entire organism.
To conquer this challenge, a crucial focus lies in developing a suitable process. This process would facilitate the proliferation of cell lines and potentially guide their differentiation into the desired edible end product. While this developmental process forms the core of technological advancements in this emerging domain, an even more pivotal aspect is identifying appropriate input materials and feedstocks to sustain the growing biomass.
Our upcoming project will delve into various plant-based agricultural inputs, encompassing Grains, Oilseeds, and Pulses, generously provided by a potential industry collaborator. The intention is to explore how each of these materials can be effectively integrated into the downstream bioreactor process.
Executing this project will demand expertise and hands-on engagement within a biomedical engineering environment. We are fully equipped to provide the necessary facilities to ensure successful outcomes.
School
Research Area
Food science | Biomedical engineering | Cellular agriculture
- Research Environment
- Expected Outcomes
- Supervisory Team
- Reference Material/Links
The project will largely be conducted in the UNSW School of Chemical Engineering in SEB.
We do have some additional capacity in BABS and it will be desirable for the incoming student(s) to have competence in building bridges between the various exciting scientific disciplines.
We are looking forward to meaningful and applicable results that can be used by the emerging industry.
See references here. This book chapter has been written by our team upon invitation by Prof. Mark POST, the leading figure in the field.