Cultivated meat is often described as a potential alternative to conventional animal agriculture but producing it at scale remains technically difficult. One of the biggest challenges is finding an edible material that can support the growth of animal cells while also mimicking the structure and texture of real meat. New research suggests brewing waste may offer one possible solution.
In a peer-reviewed study published in Frontiers in Nutrition, researchers from University College London tested whether yeast left over from beer production could be used to grow bacterial cellulose, a substance that can act as a scaffold for cultivated meat. Scaffolds are critical because animal cells need something to attach to and grow on, especially if the goal is to create products with a meat-like texture rather than loose cells.
Bacterial cellulose is already used in some foods, such as nata de coco, and has been studied for applications ranging from plant-based foods to biomedical materials. In this study, researchers used spent yeast collected from a craft brewery to grow Komagataeibacter xylinus, a bacterium known for producing high-quality cellulose.
“Our research shows that brewing waste, which is often discarded, can be repurposed to grow bacterial cellulose with properties suitable for meat scaffolding,” said Professor Richard Day, senior author of the study.
He added that cultivated meat “depends on overcoming key technical challenges,” including finding materials that are cheap, edible and capable of providing a structure similar to animal tissue.
To assess whether the cellulose could realistically function as a meat scaffold, the team tested its mechanical properties using a device designed to simulate chewing. They found that cellulose grown using brewing waste was similar in quality to cellulose grown with standard laboratory nutrients and, in some cases, closer in texture to natural meat, with lower hardness and chewiness.
The researchers then placed animal cells, specifically fibroblasts, onto the beer-derived cellulose. The cells successfully attached to the scaffold, an early but important step in determining whether the material could support cultivated meat production. The authors stress that this was a proof-of-concept experiment and that many steps remain before such materials could be used in food products.
“One of the biggest hurdles in cultivated meat is replicating the ‘mouthfeel’ and texture of real meat,” said Christian Harrison, the study’s first author.
He noted that bacterial cellulose grown on brewing waste not only supported cell attachment but also more closely resembled the mechanical properties of meat than some existing scaffolds.
The study does not address whether cultivated meat made using this approach would be affordable, nutritionally comparable to conventional meat or acceptable to consumers. It also does not evaluate food safety, flavor or large-scale manufacturing feasibility. The researchers plan to test additional cell types, including muscle and fat cells, and to assess whether yeast from different types of beer produces similar results.
For now, the findings highlight how early cultivated meat research remains. While repurposing brewing waste could reduce costs and material waste at the laboratory level, translating this approach into real-world food systems would require substantial additional research, regulatory review and commercial development.
This research was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).