REG - BSF Enterprise PLC - UK’s First Fillet of Cultivated Meat Produced

BSF EnterpriseAnnouncement

01/02/2023 07:00

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RNS Number : 5477O  BSF Enterprise PLC  01 February 2023

 

 

BSF Enterprise PLC

("BSF" or the "Company")

 

UK's First Full-Scale Fillet of Cultivated Meat Produced

 

The Lab-Grown Pork Fillet Represents a Scientific Breakthrough which Exceeds
Expectations in Appearance, Taste and Texture

 

BSF Enterprise plc, an investment company focused on unlocking the next
generation of biotech solutions, announces that its wholly owned subsidiary,
3D Bio-Tissues (3DBT), has successfully produced the UK's first steak fillet
of structured cultivated meat in its Newcastle-based laboratory. The fillet of
pork was subsequently cooked and eaten by 3D Bio-Tissues' management team.

 

The fillet was produced using 3DBT's patented, serum-free and animal-free cell
booster, City-mix(TM) which eliminated the requirement of conventional
plant-based scaffolds, blends or fillers, as have been universally adopted by
the industry to date to ensure structural integrity of cultivated meat
products. 3DBT's fillet is therefore 100% meat, leading the Company to believe
this is  the world's first 100% cultivated pork steak to be produced.

 

This represents a significant development milestone and following the success
of the technical tests and the identification of development areas, 3DBT will
forge ahead in producing a showcase product - a full-scale fillet of
cultivated pork which will be presented, cooked, and eaten at a public event
in the coming months.

 

A video of the meat being cooked can be viewed below:

 

The process

 

3DBT used porcine cells to produce the cultivated pork fillet, measuring 9 cm
width, 4 cm in length and 1 cm in height, making it similar in size to a small
fillet of traditional meat. The fillet was replicated to pork's unique flavour
and texture.

 

The process of producing the fillet began by extracting cells from a pig and
putting them in a cell-culture environment, which allowed them to grow and
divide. The cells were then cultivated using the company's proprietary
structured meat technology along with their patented cell-boosting supplement
City-mix(TM) to turn the cells into structured meat.

 

City-mix(TM), a standalone commercially available product, enables the
reduction of the use of expensive growth factors whilst increasing yield. Its
use enhances the growth of cells and tissues to the point that the need for a
scaffold is eliminated. City-mix(TM) is a critical intellectual property
component of the Company's offering, providing clear competitive
differentiation and world-leading technology.

 

Tasting and testing

 

3DBT'S Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Che Connon, and Chief Science Officer, Dr.
Ricardo Gouveia, tested the fillet in the lab for various qualities in both
its raw and cooked states and, for the first time, sampled the product in
order to test its similarity to eating conventional meat.

 

In its raw state the cultivated steak fillet was very similar in appearance to
conventional meat with fibres clearly visible. On cutting the fillet, it
displayed similar structural integrity to raw conventional meat, including
resistance to breaking and compression. In addition, it was the same to the
touch in terms of consistency and elasticity and, as with fresh traditional
meat, had no obvious aroma while raw.

 

On pan-frying, the fillet was cooked through and exhibited an element of
shrinkage, as would be expected with high-quality traditional meat. The fillet
seared easily, showing the typical browning, charring and crisping on its
surface, and the aromas were identical to those of frying traditional pork.

 

When eating the cooked meat, it was found to exhibit very similar texture,
consistency and flavour to that of traditional pork.  In summary, the test
results exceeded expectations in all respects. The testers agreed that both
the texture and the taste in the mouth was indistinguishable from pork steak.
The texture being a direct consequence of the unique cell-growth and
tissue-templating process employed by 3DBT.

 

Next steps

 

3DBT now plans to take the findings from this to produce a further fillet to
be showcased publicly outside of the lab environment and for third-party
individuals to taste the produce. In the next phase, 3DBT plan to build upon
the [structural integrity] already delivered.

 

Dr. Che Connon, Chief Executive of 3DBT, said: "This is a significant
scientific breakthrough which has very positive implications not just for BSF
and 3DBT but also for the UK and the cultivated meat industry as a whole. We
are absolutely delighted with the look, taste and texture of our cultivated
pork, which is the first time we have fully sampled our product. Our
cruelty-free fillet has exceeded our expectations in all respects, and we are
extremely excited about the technological progress we are making and the
impact this could have upon our industry.

 

"City-mix(TM), our serum free media in which we cultivated the fillet, is
helping to greatly reduce the cost of cultivated meat such that it may become
economically viable in the near future. At the same time our 'structure
without scaffold' technology is helping to make cultivated meat that more
closely resembles traditional meat in every respect, without the need for
plant-based additives. We look forward to taking the findings through to the
next stage of development, focused on producing a chef-ready product for
public consumption."

 

 
For further enquiries, please visit www.bsfenterprise.com
(http://www.bsfenterprise.com/)  or contact:

 BSF Enterprise PLC                       Via SEC Newgate below
 Geoff Baker - Non-Executive Director

 Che Connon - Executive Director

 Shard Capital (Broker)
 Damon Heath                              0203 971 7000

 SEC Newgate (Financial Communications)
 Bob Huxford                              020 3757 6882

 Elisabeth Cowell                         BSF@secnewgate.co.uk

 George Esmond

 

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