5 LAB-GROWN MEAT AND LEATHER

Biofabrication has far-reaching implications beyond medicine. A particularly compelling case for building with living cells is in the production of animal-derived food and consumer products, such as meat, dairy, eggs, and leather. Replacements for traditionally sourced meat and leather are the focus of this chapter, as they are the predominant focus of research, development, and commercialization in this field. This is because meat, though a large and important part of many culinary cultures, comes with some potential disadvantages that have been highlighted in recent years. These include the pollution generated by animal farms, the prevalence of foodborne illnesses in animal products, and the ethical concerns raised by housing large and growing numbers of farm animals within diminishing global land resources.1 Engineered replacements for meat and other animal-derived products have, therefore, become of significant interest to the biofabrication community in recent years.