Aleph Farms鈥� scientists, Dr. Keren Tazat-Fireberg and Dr. Hezi Hayun, analyze collagen-producing cells under a microscope.
Photo courtesy Aleph Farms
Aleph Farms, purveyor of cultivated beef steaks, hasn鈥檛 stopped at just producing steak without the cow. Now the company is expanding its product line to include a platform for manufacturing cell-cultured collagen. Aleph鈥檚 highly differentiated, integrated strategy to develop a complete alternative to animals in intensive animal farming stems from its inclusive vision to supplement sustainable, but less productive, livestock agriculture practices.
鈥淭he cellular agriculture industry has made greater promises to replace a large part of intensive animal farming practices, which make up to 70% of the global meat production. Cultivated meat, however, is only part of that solution as meat represents just 30-35% of the cow that is slaughtered. The rest include many other valuable by-products. To achieve our vision, we need to provide alternatives to the other animal parts as well, including collagen-based products,鈥� says Didier Toubia, co-founder and CEO of Aleph Farms. 鈥淔ocusing on single categories of animal products does not account for the complexity of the animal agriculture ecosystem. The protein transition should rely on a systems-based approach to successfully contribute to a comprehensive, just and inclusive meat sector transition.鈥�
Conventional collagen is produced by boiling and processing cow鈥檚 hides and bones, and is widely used in a range of industries鈥攆rom nutraceuticals to cosmetics and beyond. Aleph Farms鈥� patented, cultivated collagen offers attributes of natural animal-based collagen.
Aleph Frontiers, a division of Aleph Farms鈥� research center, is focused on the development of new technologies and products for eventual commercialization. As the first product to emerge from the company鈥檚 newly revealed incubator, and following 18 months of research by an expert team, Aleph鈥檚 collagen is now moving to full product development stage and should launch in 2024.
鈥淲e are leveraging key components from our production method for steaks鈥攊ncluding our bovine cell sources and animal component-free growth medium鈥攖o produce several nature-identical collagen types directly from cow cells, as well as the entire extracellular matrix (ECM) which comprises a variety of fiber-forming proteins and represents the complete matrix of skin, bones and joints,鈥� says Dr. Neta Lavon, CTO and VP of R&D at Aleph Farms. 鈥淐ollagen is the most abundant protein in the ECM and is well recognized for its benefits.鈥�
This announcement follows the company鈥檚 expansion to its new cultured-beef steaks pilot production plant. Both platforms largely share similar inputs and equipment鈥攁nd present operational and cost-reduction synergies.
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