SBIR Phase I: Whey Protein-Based Microcarrier Platform for Next-Generation Cultivated Meat Production

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project enables commercial-scale cultivated meat production through the first scalable whey protein-based microcarrier platform. This significant technology addresses the fundamental barrier preventing cultivated meat commercialization: the lack of food-grade, scalable cell culture substrates suitable for consumable products that increase production rate. The consumable design eliminates costly cell-harvesting steps required by current technologies, simplifying manufacturing processes. The platform leverages established spray-drying manufacturing infrastructure to enable rapid market entry and regulatory approval pathways. By creating significant commercial opportunities, the microcarrier platform transforms dairy industry waste streams into high-value biotechnology products. Beyond cultivated meat, broader impacts include tissue engineering, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and specialty food ingredients. Success will support national leadership in sustainable food production, and advanced manufacturing sectors. The proposed project addresses the critical need for edible microcarriers in cultivated meat production through development of whey-based materials that leverage underutilized whey protein byproducts. Current food systems are strained by rising demand, creating an urgent need for alternative protein production. Cultivated meat faces commercialization barriers due to expensive, non-edible synthetic microcarriers requiring costly cell separation processes. The opportunities to solve critical problems will be validated via the following research objectives include: (1) enhancing cell proliferation on finely tuned whey-based materials targeting increased cell doubling rates, and (2) designing scalable microcarriers for industrial bioreactors with pilot-scale production capabilities. The approach combines biopolymer conjugation with tunable mechanical properties to create edible substrates that enhance biomass production rates. Key technical risks include potential cell adhesion restraints, cell infiltration limitations, and scale-up challenges affecting cost competitiveness. The overall project goal is to establish new paradigms for protein production while addressing industry pain points. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.