Technological and structural aspects of scaffold manufacturing for cultured meat: recent advances, challenges, and opportunities

Engineering Considerations on Large-Scale Cultured Meat Production

In recent decades, cultured meat has received considerable interest as a sustainable alternative to traditional meat products, showing promise for addressing the inherent problems associated with conventional meat production. However, current limitations on the scalability of production and extremely high production costs have prevented their widespread adoption. Therefore, it is important to develop novel engineering strategies to overcome the current limitations in large-scale cultured meat production. Such engineering considerations have the potential for advancements in cultured meat production by providing innovative and effective solutions to the prevailing challenges. In this review, we discuss how engineering strategies have been utilized to advance cultured meat technology by categorizing the production processes of cultured meat into three distinct steps: (1) cell preparation; (2) cultured meat fabrication; and (3) cultured meat maturation. For each step, we provide a comprehensive discussion of the recent progress and its implications. In particular, we focused on the engineering considerations involved in each step of cultured meat production, with specific emphasis on large-scale production.

Investigation into Potential Allergenicity and Digestion-Resistant Linear Epitopes of Fish Skin Gelatin in Cell-Cultured Meat Scaffolds

As a key component of cell-cultured fish, fish skin gelatin (FSG)-based cell scaffold provides support structures for cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation. However, there are potential allergenicity risks contained in FSG-based scaffolds. In this study, 3D edible scaffolds were prepared by phase separation method and showed a contact angle of less than 90°, which indicated that the scaffolds were favorable for cell adhesion. Besides, the swelling ratio was greater than 200%, implying a great potential to support cell growth. The sequence homology analysis indicated that FSG was prone to cross-reaction with collagen analogues. Additionally, a food allergic model was constructed and represented that mice gavaged with cod FSG exhibited higher levels of specific antibodies, mast cell degranulation, vascular permeability, and intestinal barrier impairment than those gavaged with pangasius and tilapias FSG. Its higher allergenicity might be attributed to a higher number of digestion-resistant linear epitopes. Moreover, the higher hydrolysis degree linked to the exposure of linear epitopes to promote the combination with IgE, which was also responsible for maintaining the higher allergenicity of cod FSG. This study clarifies allergenic risks in cell-cultured fish and further study will focus on the allergenicity reduction of FSG-based cell scaffolds.

Progress of plant-derived non-starch polysaccharides and their challenges and applications in future foods

The development of future food is devoted not only to obtaining a sustainable food supply but also to providing high-quality foods for humans. Plant-derived non-starch polysaccharides (PNPs) are widely available, biocompatible, and nontoxic and have been largely applied to the food industry owing to their mechanical properties and biological activities. PNPs are considered excellent biomaterials and food ingredients contributing to future food development. However, a comprehensive review of the potential applications of PNPs in future food has not been reported. This review summarized the physicochemical and biological activities of PNPs and then discussed the structure-activity relationships of PNPs. Latest studies of PNPs on future foods including cell-cultured meat, food for special medical purposes (FSMPs), and three-dimensional-printed foods were reviewed. The challenges and prospects of PNPs applied to future food were critically proposed. PNPs with strong thermal stability are considered good thickeners, emulsifiers, and gelatinizers that greatly improve the processing adaptability of foods. The mechanical properties of PNPs and decellularized plant-based PNPs make them desirable scaffolds for cultured meat manufacturing. In addition, the biological activities of PNPs exhibit multiple health-promoting effects; therefore, PNPs can act as food ingredients producing FSMP to promote human health. Three-dimensional printing technology enhances food structures and biological activities of functional foods, which is in favor of expanding the application scopes of PNPs in future food. PNPs are promising in future food manufacturing, and more efforts need to be made to realize their commercial applications.

Decellularised plant scaffolds facilitate porcine skeletal muscle tissue engineering for cultivated meat biomanufacturing

Cultivated meat (CM) offers a sustainable and ethical alternative to conventional animal agriculture, involving cell maturation in a controlled environment. To emulate the structural complexity of traditional meat, the development of animal-free and edible scaffolds is crucial, providing vital physical and biological support during tissue development. The aligned vascular bundles of the decellularised asparagus scaffold were selected to facilitate the attachment and alignment of murine myoblasts (C2C12) and porcine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (pADMSCs). Muscle differentiation was assessed through immunofluorescence staining with muscle markers, including Myosin heavy chain (MHC), Myogenin (MYOG), and Desmin. The metabolic activity of Creatine Kinase in C2C12 differentiated cells significantly increased compared to proliferated cells. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed a significant increase in Myosin Heavy Polypeptide 1 (MYH1) and MYOG expression compared to Day 0. These results highlight the application of decellularised plant scaffold (DPS) as a promising, edible material conducive to cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation into muscle tissue. To create a CM prototype with biological mimicry, pADMSC-derived muscle and fat cells were also co-cultured on the same scaffold. The co-culture was confirmed through immunofluorescence staining of muscle markers and LipidTOX staining, revealing distinct muscle fibres and adipocytes containing lipid droplets respectively. Texture profile analysis conducted on uncooked CM prototypes and pork loin showed no significant differences in textural values. However, the pan-fried CM prototype differed significantly in hardness and chewiness compared to pork loin. Understanding the scaffolds' textural profile enhances our insight into the potential sensory attributes of CM products. DPS shows potential for advancing CM biomanufacturing.

Cultivation of Bovine Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Plant-Based Scaffolds in a Macrofluidic Single-Use Bioreactor for Cultured Meat

Reducing production costs, known as scaling, is a significant obstacle in the advancement of cultivated meat. The cultivation process hinges on several key components, e.g., cells, media, scaffolds, and bioreactors. This study demonstrates an innovative approach, departing from traditional stainless steel or glass bioreactors, by integrating food-grade plant-based scaffolds and thermoplastic film bioreactors. While thermoplastic films are commonly used for constructing fluidic systems, conventional welding methods are cost-prohibitive and lack rapid prototyping capabilities, thus inflating research and development expenses. The developed laser welding technique facilitates contamination-free and leakproof sealing of polyethylene films, enabling the efficient fabrication of macrofluidic systems with various designs and dimensions. By incorporating food-grade plant-based scaffolds, such as rice seeded with bovine mesenchymal stem cells, into these bioreactors, this study demonstrates sterile cell proliferation on scaffolds within macrofluidic systems. This approach not only reduces bioreactor prototyping and construction costs but also addresses the need for scalable solutions in both research and industrial settings. Integrating single-use bioreactors with minimal shear forces and incorporating macro carriers such as puffed rice may further enhance biomass production in a scaled-out model. The use of food-grade plant-based scaffolds aligns with sustainable practices in tissue engineering and cultured-meat production, emphasizing its suitability for diverse applications.

Tuning the efficacy of decellularized apple by coating with alginate/gelatin to behave as a bioscaffold for cultured meat production

Substantial efforts are underway to tackle the current challenges of sustainability and environmental impacts linked to orthodox animal agriculture. This had led to advancement in food innovation guiding the fabrication of edible scaffolds based cultured meat. This current research work aims to develop and validate a new approach in fabricating a 3D porous scaffold of decellularized apple coated with a polymer mixture of gelatin/alginate for cultivated meat production. The fabricated noncoated (A) and coated (CA) 3D scaffolds presented different ratios of pore sizes with the medium-sized pores (100-250 µm) being higher in the case of CA. The water absorption capacity of CA (∼64 %) was almost two folds compared to A (∼31 %) with delayed digestion in the presence of gastric simulated juice with or without pepsin. Both the scaffolds showed the capability to adhere and proliferate muscle satellite cells as single cell culture and muscle satellite along with NIH/3T3 fibroblast cells as co-culture. However, the CA scaffolds showed enhanced capability to adhere and proliferate the two cell lines on its surface compared to A. This work demonstrates an efficient way to fabricate decellularized plant scaffolds with high potential to be used in the production of cultured meat for the food industry.

Random cellulose acetate nanofibers: a breakthrough for cultivated meat production

Overcoming the challenge of creating thick, tissue-resembling muscle constructs is paramount in the field of cultivated meat production. This study investigates the remarkable potential of random cellulose acetate nanofibers (CAN) as a transformative scaffold for muscle tissue engineering (MTE), specifically in the context of cultivated meat applications. Through a comparative analysis between random and aligned CAN, utilizing C2C12 and H9c2 myoblasts, we unveil the unparalleled capabilities of random CAN in facilitating muscle differentiation, independent of differentiation media, by exploiting the YAP/TAZ-related mechanotransduction pathway. In addition, we have successfully developed a novel process for stacking cell-loaded CAN sheets, enabling the production of a three-dimensional meat product. C2C12 and H9c2 loaded CAN sheets were stacked (up to four layers) to form a ~300-400 μm thick tissue 2 cm in length, organized in a mesh of uniaxial aligned cells. To further demonstrate the effectiveness of this methodology for cultivated meat purposes, we have generated thick and viable constructs using chicken muscle satellite cells (cSCs) and random CAN. This groundbreaking discovery offers a cost-effective and biomimetic solution for cultivating and differentiating muscle cells, forging a crucial link between tissue engineering and the pursuit of sustainable and affordable cultivated meat production.