In Germany, cultivated meat startup Alife Foods hopes to launch a lab-grown version of schnitzel by 2025.
Alife is currently doing “sensory evaluations” for its animal-free schnitzel, which contains cultivated beef, wheat protein, wheat flour, vegetable oil and methylcellulose and was developed in collaboration with Fuchs Group and US-based LabFarmFoods. Notably, Alife is using plant-based cell culture medium to avoid ethical concerns and the high cost of animal-based growth serums.
Alife hopes to offer a finished prototype to investors in 2022, according to vegconomist.
“We believe that eating meat is a celebratory part of our many different cultures but the way we are growing meat is inherently unsustainable,” the company says on its website. “We think that it’s in our human nature to proactively shape our world with technology. We believe in a future in which we can indulge in the pleasure of eating meat without the suffering of animals and the disastrous effects on the environment.”