Serum-free Media for Fish Cells in Cultivated Seafood Production
3 rd International Marine & Freshwater Sciences Symposium, Hatay, Türkiye, 1 - 02 Eylül 2026, ss.38-51, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Tam Metin Bildiri
- Basıldığı Şehir: Hatay
- Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.38-51
- Çukurova Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Global seafood demand is climbing fast, and conventional aquaculture systems are starting to buckle under the pressure one reason cellular aquaculture has drawn growing attention as analternative production route. Yet the field remains constrained by heavy reliance on FetalBovine Serum (FBS), which accounts for 85–95% of culture media costs, one of the largest contributors to overall cultivated meat production costs, and raises ethical, regulatory, and foodsafety concerns. Fish cell lines also require unusually high serum concentrations, up to 20% FBS versus the 10% standard for mammalian systems. Here, we examine the biological basis of this elevated requirement, FBS's core shortcomings, and the main components used in serum- free media (SFM) design: growth factors, protein hydrolysates, vitamins, lipids, trace elements, and algal extracts. Findings so far are encouraging. Fish-specific recombinant growth factorsoutperform their human counterparts in fish cell culture: the Nile tilapia IGF-2 ortholog showed 1.8-fold higher proliferative activity than commercial human IGF-2, and the Atlantic salmon FGF-2 ortholog was 1.5-fold more active than its human equivalent. Protein hydrolysates from marine invertebrates and insects (Black Soldier Fly, lugworm, oyster, mussel), even at 0.001-0.1 mg/mL, allowed zebrafish embryonic stem cell cultures to maintain growth with serumconcentration halved. Microalgal extracts, particularly Auxenochlorella pyrenoidosa proteinextract (APE), reduced serum requirements to as low as 5% in goldfish muscle cell cultureswhile influencing key metabolic and signaling pathways. Gaps remain: existing cell lines coveronly 1–2% of the ~35,000 Actinopterygian species; chemically defined formulations forcommercially important species (salmon, tuna, sea bass, gilthead seabream) are largely missing; and lot-to-lot variability in hydrolysate and algal extract preparations complicates
standardization. Future progress will depend on AI-assisted high-throughput screening, omicsguided media optimization, low-cost microbial production of species-specific recombinantgrowth factors, and systematic translation of classical aquaculture nutrition knowledge into invitro media design.