Eat Beyond’s portfolio company SingCell has entered into a technology development agreement with the National University of Singapore to evaluate and license its plant-based edible microcarriers technology.

“The initial performance of these microcarriers in terms of cell attachment and proliferation is very promising and could solve the cost and scalability issues in the cultured meat industry,” says Karolis Rosickas, CEO of SingCell. 

“This technology is very complementary to SingCell’s existing 3D cell culture technology, and soon we will be able to offer a more comprehensive bioprocessing scale-up solution to our clients.”

Last December, cultured chicken meat from Eat Just was green-lighted for sale in Singapore as an ingredient in chicken bites. The island nation is the first to give the go-ahead to meat being grown in a lab. It follows a rigorous consultation and review process by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

This approval is anticipated to be the “first of many” for similar lab-grown meat businesses in Singapore, considered a hotspot for cell-based agriculture. However, US and European approval of cultured meat could be some way off.

Cost and scaling up tech
SingCell operates as a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), offering its proprietary platform to third-party alternative meat companies, which provides scalable processes for cultured meat manufacturing. 

SingCell says it has a rapidly growing pipeline of potential projects.

“SingCell is focused on improving the feasibility of the cultured meat industry by focusing purely on the cost and scalability of the technology,” says Eat Beyond CEO Patrick Morris. 

“The company is also located in Singapore, which is truly the epicenter of this industry and was the first jurisdiction globally to approve cell-based meat for consumption.”

The Singapore government has focused on innovation that will drive food security and make the nation less dependent on foreign suppliers. SingCell is well-positioned to leverage these programs to develop its technology and manufacturing infrastructure in Singapore. 

Last October, Foodtech start-up Next Gen, which offers plant-based meat products, launched in Singapore with seed funding of US$2.2 million. The company is preparing for its Series A this year, with a current production capacity to supply 9,000 restaurants.

Meanwhile, last month Yeo Hiap Seng, a company that has been manufacturing plant-based products for more than a century, is to produce one of the world’s most popular dairy alternatives from its Singapore factory – Swedish oat milk brand, Oatly.

This comes as the alternative dairy space gains further traction in Asia.