Gyeongsang National University develops hybrid cultivated steak with claimed 80% cost reduction

Researchers at Gyeongsang National University in South Korea have developed a whole-cut hybrid cultivated meat prototype that combines animal muscle cells with plant proteins, reporting production cost reductions of 70-80% compared with existing methods.

• Researchers combined cultivated muscle cells with plant proteins.
• The team reported production cost reductions of 70-80%.
• Commercialization is underway through university spinout Orange CAU.

The team, led by Professor Seon-Tea Joo, developed the technology with support from South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture and Forestry (IPET).

The project received government research funding from April 2021 to December 2025 through the High Value-Added Food Technology Development Program. Chungbuk National University, Kyungpook National University and a biotechnology company participated alongside the Gyeongsang National University researchers.

In its October 22 announcement, IPET said the work addressed both the expense of cultivated meat production and the difficulty of reproducing the structure of whole cuts. The resulting prototype has bundled fibers and a fat component designed to recreate marbling.

The production method combines cultivated muscle cells with proteins from peas, soybeans and wheat. The mixture is formed into fine, thread-like muscle fibers, which are then bundled to create a three-dimensional structure with a grain resembling conventional meat.

A blend of vegetable oils and beef fat is applied to reproduce marbling and influence the product’s texture. Adjusting the amount and distribution of fat allows the team to imitate characteristics associated with different beef cuts, including sirloin, tenderloin and striploin.

The researchers also developed equipment to produce and bundle the fibers in larger quantities. The process was likened to making noodles, with fine strands drawn out and assembled into a larger piece.

According to reporting on the announcement by South Korea’s Electronic Times, the cost reduction came from combining plant proteins with cultivated cells and introducing technology that allows cell culture scaffolds to be reused.

The anticipated selling price following commercialization is around KRW40,000 (US$30)/kg. The comparison used by the researchers was approximately KRW80,000 (US$60)/kg for grade 1 Hanwoo sirloin. These figures describe a projected commercial price and a conventional beef benchmark, rather than a product currently available at retail.

The project builds on work that the university announced in May 2025, when it described a marbled, steak-style hybrid cultivated meat prototype developed through its meat science laboratory and spinout company.

That earlier announcement provided further detail on the team’s cell production approach. Researchers had developed edible microcarriers for cell cultivation, replacing non-edible materials that the university said made harvesting more complicated and less efficient.

The university reported that its cell culture and harvesting technology reduced production costs to less than half those of its previous approach. That earlier figure was reported separately from the 70-80% reduction in the latest announcement.

The team also developed a process to control the extent of differentiation in different muscle-derived cell lines, with the aim of reproducing characteristics associated with particular cuts.

The May announcement accompanied plans for public tastings at GSAT 2025, held at the Changwon Convention Center on May 28-29. It therefore establishes that the whole-cut prototype was publicly announced before the latest government account of the project’s results.

Commercial development is being pursued through Orange CAU, the laboratory spinout established in July 2024. The company describes its technology as a Biomimetic Myofiber platform and is developing products under the Marvel Marble brand.

On its website, Orange CAU identifies plant-based, hybrid and cultivated products as parts of its development program. It says its platform allows fiber density, texture and marbling to be tailored to individual cuts.

The company also reports four registered patents, more than 50 publications in international scientific journals and a HACCP-certified facility. It describes its operations as being at pilot scale, although those statements do not establish that the hybrid cultivated product has received authorization for commercial sale.

Joo serves as the company’s CEO, drawing on more than 30 years of research in animal science and meat quality at Gyeongsang National University. Orange CAU is using the completed prototype as the basis for its commercialization work.

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