September 26, 2023

JBS begins construction of cell-based protein R&D facility

JBS has started construction of an R&D site that will develop cell-based protein, marking its latest investment in the early-stage industry.

The company said the facility will work towards making the production of cultured protein "more efficient, scalable and economically competitive."

The Biotech Innovation Centre will be located in the Sapiens Parque innovation park in Florianópolis, south-eastern Brazil. Scheduled to open towards the end of next year, it will be Brazil's largest food biotechnology research centre.

JBS said the centre will require approximately $62 million in investment in three installments. The third stage will consist of building "a basic module on an industrial scale to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of cultured protein".

The company signaled its interest in the nascent market for cell-cultivated meat market back in 2021 when it acquired a majority stake in Spanish-cultivated protein firm BioTech Foods. The deal gave the company access to BioTech's technology and protein production in return for JBS' industrial processing capacity, and paved the way for the construction of the world's largest cultivated beef protein plant in San Sabastián, Spain, earlier this year.

- Just Food