| Basic components |
| Glucose | · Main energy source, reducing agent for oxidative stress.· Glucose demand differs depending on the cell type. |
| Amino acids | · Production of proteins, nucleotides, and short-chain peptides.· Cells cultured in vitro obtain essential amino acids (arginine, cysteine, glutamine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, and valine) from the media. |
| L-Glutamine | · Major contributor to protein biomass and transportation into cells.· L-Glutamine acts as a supplementary alternative energy source. |
| Inorganic salts | · Maintenance of cell osmotic pressure.· Examples: calcium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium sulfate, sodium chloride, sodium phosphate, and sodium bicarbonate added to the culture medium. |
| Vitamins | · Responsible for cell maintenance and growth. |
| Buffer | · Maintains the pH of the cell culture.· Examples: bicarbonate system or hydroxyethyl piperazine ethane sulfonicacid (HEPES). |
| Serum | · Main factor for mammalian cell growth. |
| Hormones and growth factors | · Stimulation of cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation.· Examples: insulin, cortisol, growth hormone, thyroid hormone, sex hormones, lutein, etc. |
| Recombinant proteins | · Contribute to increased production efficiency for developing cultured meat. |