Cultivated Fat for Plant-Based Meat: Mission Barns Uses Pig Fat in Bioreactors to Flavor Substitutes

Short summary

Grist's Matt Simon examines Mission Barns' cultivated-fat program by using Dawn, a pig living in upstate New York, as a source for fat grown in bioreactors. The approach seeks to replicate pork fat in plant-based meats such as sausages and meatballs by combining plant bases with cultured fat to achieve realistic flavor and mouthfeel. The article highlights how unstructured fat can simplify flavor replication, enabling rapid tweaks to base ingredients and spice profiles to mimic traditional pork. It also flags environmental questions around energy use for cell culture and the logistics of urban bioreactors, along with branding and consumer acceptance challenges for cultivated-fat products.