• HexBroke [any, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    2 months ago

    Unfortunately most lab meat processes require fetal bovine serum. A process for growing lab meat without FBS was achieved in 2022 though.

    FBS is a by-product of the meat industry. FBS, as with the vast majority of animal serum used in cell culture, is produced from blood collected at commercial slaughterhouses from cattle that also supply meat intended for human consumption.

    CW: description of the FBS collection process

    The first stage of the production process for FBS is the harvesting of blood from the bovine fetus after the fetus is removed from the slaughtered cow.

    The fetus dies from the lack of oxygen by remaining in the protective environment of the uterus for a minimum of 15–20 minutes after the cow is dead.

    The blood is collected aseptically into a sterile container or blood bag and then allowed to clot.

    The normal method of collection is cardiac puncture. This minimizes the danger of serum contamination with micro-organisms from the fetus itself, and the environment, while maximizing the volume of blood collected.