A South African biotechnology breakthrough could help make lab-grown meat more affordable and accessible.

Lab-grown meat is considered the future of food because it offers a sustainable, ethical, and efficient alternative to industrial livestock farming.

Local start-up Immobazyme has successfully partnered with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to produce a critical protein used in the cultivation of lab-grown meat.

The molecule, known as fibroblast growth factor 2, or FGF-2, plays a vital role in helping animal cells multiply and grow into meat products in laboratory environments.

“Companies specialising in cell-cultivated meat take a cell from a cow or a fish or a chicken. They take it to the laboratory, and then they make that one cell become many cells, and eventually those many cells become a food product,” says Nick Enslin, Chief Commercial Officer and co-founder of Immobazyme.

Growth factors such as FGF‑2 are added to guide and sustain the meat growth process, but these molecules have traditionally been very expensive to produce and are therefore costly for lab-grown meat companies.

The project, funded by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation and the Technology Innovation Agency, marks a significant step forward for South Africa’s biomanufacturing sector.

Using specially engineered bacteria and large-scale bioreactors, scientists were able to produce the protein efficiently and at a lower cost than traditional methods.

The process involves growing bacteria under controlled conditions, extracting the protein, and purifying it into a usable form for the cultivated meat industry.

Experts say the successful scale-up, reaching a 50-litre production level, is a first for South Africa and positions the country to compete globally in the fast-growing lab-grown meat market.

Immobazyme says the collaboration has provided valuable technical expertise and opened the door to producing other high-value proteins in future.