The platform is dubbed “Renaissance Farm.”

Animal Alternative Technologies (AAT), a spin-off from the University of Cambridge, is focused on developing a scalable platform for cell-based meat services, including bioreactors, optimisation software, tissue engineering and analytics. AAT has come out of stealth and its Renaissance Farm platform enables large-scale cultured meat production commercially viable for food manufacturers, restaurant chains, retailers and governments. And its not just mince or bites – it is structured meat (read: steaks) synthesised directly from animal cells. (Cambridge Independent)

The challenge for AAT: Global food security and sustainability

In an eye-opening statistic, AAT reveals on its website that over 25% of earth’s ice-free land is used for animal farming. This is also the main source of water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that exceed those from the entire transportation sector.

“Global meat consumption needs to fall by 80% to keep global warming under 2°C by 2050,” says AAT. “This represents a considerable threat as demand for meat is expected to double during this time.”

Cultured meat is a solution to these problems, but unfortunately, there is yet no means to produce it on a large, commercial scale.

Co-founders Clarisse Beurrier and Yash Mishra founded AAT in June 2020 to address these challenges. AAT received £200,000 private capital funding earlier this year and came out of stealth mode last week.

Anybody investing in AAT’s Renaissance Farm and a bio-reactor can now produce structured meat such as steaks.

How it works

AI-driven software runs the Renaissance Farm platform. It reduces time, costs and risks.

On the other hand, bio-electronic analytics developed by the Bio-Electronic Systems Technology group at Cambridge University, ensures the nutrition, safety and quality control aspects.

Cells from leftover meat in slaughterhouses form the basis for tissue engineering to develop various meats rapidly. The process controls quality factors such as texture, fat content and taste.

AAT’s system ensures no animal suffering, and completely avoids antibiotics, pesticides, or land use.

“We’re developing the bio-reactors ourselves,” says Mishra, “to produce structured meats rather than mince. We’ve found a manufacturer [for the bio-reactor] in Malaysia. We build the system, supply the cells and all the raw materials, and the bio-reactors are run by our automated software; it’s almost plug-and-play.”

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