An Edible, Decellularized Plant Derived Cell Carrier for Lab Grown Meat

Recent advances in scaffolding biomaterials for cultivated meat

The emergence of cultivated meat provides a sustainable and ethical alternative to traditional animal agriculture, highlighting its increasing importance in the food industry. Biomaterial scaffolds are critical components in cultivated meat production for enabling cell adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, and orientation. While there's extensive research on scaffolding biomaterials, applying them to cultivated meat production poses distinct challenges, with each material offering its own set of advantages and disadvantages. This review summarizes the most recent scaffolding biomaterials used in the last five years for cell-cultured meat, detailing their respective advantages and disadvantages. We suggest future research directions and provide recommendations for scaffolds that support scalable, cost-effective, and safe high-quality meat production. Additionally, we highlight commercial challenges cultivated meat faces, encompassing bioreactor design, cell culture mediums, and regulatory and food safety issues. In summary, this review provides a comprehensive guide and valuable insights for researchers and companies in the field of cultivated meat production.

Scaffolding fundamentals and recent advances in sustainable scaffolding techniques for cultured meat development

In cultured meat (CM) production, Scaffolding plays an important role by aiding cell adhesion, growth, differentiation, and alignment. The existence of fibrous microstructure in connective and muscle tissues has attracted considerable interest in the realm of tissue engineering and triggered the interest of researchers to implement scaffolding techniques. A wide array of research efforts is ongoing in scaffolding technologies for achieving the real meat structure on the principality of biomedical research and to replace serum free CM production. Scaffolds made of animal-derived biomaterials are found efficient in replicating the extracellular matrix (ECM), thus focus should be paid to utilize animal byproducts for this purpose. Proper identification and utilization of plant-derived scaffolding biomaterial could be helpful to add diversified options in addition to animal derived sources and reduce in cost of CM production through scaffolds. Furthermore, techniques like electrospinning, modified electrospinning and 3D bioprinting should be focused on to create 3D porous scaffolds to mimic the ECM of the muscle tissue and form real meat-like structures. This review discusses recent advances in cutting edge scaffolding techniques and edible biomaterials related to structured CM production.

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.

Derivation and Characterization of Novel Cytocompatible Decellularized Tissue Scaffold for Myoblast Growth and Differentiation

The selection of an appropriate scaffold is imperative for the successful development of alternative animal protein in the form of cultured meat or lab-grown meat. Decellularized tissues have been suggested as a potential scaffold for cultured meat production owing to their capacity to support an optimal environment and niche conducive to cell proliferation and growth. This approach facilitates the systematic development of 3D tissues in the laboratory. Decellularized scaffold biomaterials have characteristics of high biocompatibility, biodegradation, and various bioactivities, which could potentially address the limitations associated with synthetic bio-scaffold materials. The present study involved the derivation and characterization of a decellularized scaffold from mushroom tissue following subsequent assessment of the scaffold's capacity to support myogenic differentiation. Mushroom sections were soaked in nuclease and detergent solution for 4 days. Furthermore, decellularization was confirmed by histology and DAPI staining, which showed the removal of cellular components and nuclei. Myoblast cells were seeded onto decellularized tissue, which exhibited excellent cytocompatibility and promoted myogenic growth and differentiation. The study's findings can serve as a foreground for the generation of an edible and natural scaffold for producing a safe and disease-free source of alternative animal protein, potentially reducing the burden on the health sector caused by conventional animal protein production and consumption.

Development of cultivable alginate fibers for an ideal cell-cultivated meat scaffold and production of hybrid cultured meat

Slaughtering animals for meat pose several challenges, including environmental pollution and ethical concerns. Scaffold-based cell-cultivated meat has been proposed as a solution to these problems, however, the utilization of animal-derived materials for scaffolding or the high cost of production remains a significant challenge. Alginate is an ideal material for cell-cultivated meat scaffolds but has poor cell adhesion properties. To address this issue, we achieved 82 % cell adhesion coverage by controlling the specific structure generated during the ionic crosslinking process of alginate. Post 11 days of culture; we evaluated cell adhesion, differentiation, and aligned cell networks. The cell growth increased by 12.7 % compared to the initial seeding concentration. Finally, we created hybrid cell-cultivated meat by combining single-cell protein from mycelium and cell-cultivated meat. This is non-animal based, edible, cost-effective, and has a desirable texture by blending cell-cultivated meat with a meat analogue. In summary, the creation of improved alginate fibers can effectively tackle various obstacles encountered in the manufacturing of cell-cultivated meat. This includes enhancing cell adhesion, reducing costs, and streamlining the production procedure.

An Overview of Recent Progress in Engineering Three-Dimensional Scaffolds for Cultured Meat Production

Cultured meat is a new type of green, safe, healthy, and sustainable alternative to traditional meat that will potentially alleviate the environmental impact of animal farming and reduce the requirement for animal slaughter. However, the cultured meat structures that have been prepared lack sufficient tissue alignment. To create a product that is similar in texture and taste to traditional animal meat, muscle stem cells must be organized in a way that imitates the natural structure of animal tissue. Recently, various scaffold technologies and biomaterials have been developed to support the three-dimensional (3D) cultivation and organization of muscle stem cells. Hence, we propose an overview of the latest advancements and challenges in creating three-dimensional scaffolds for the biomanufacturing of cultured meat.

Towards a More Realistic In Vitro Meat: The Cross Talk between Adipose and Muscle Cells

According to statistics and future predictions, meat consumption will increase in the coming years. Considering both the environmental impact of intensive livestock farming and the importance of protecting animal welfare, the necessity of finding alternative strategies to satisfy the growing meat demand is compelling. Biotechnologies are responding to this demand by developing new strategies for producing meat in vitro. The manufacturing of cultured meat has faced criticism concerning, above all, the practical issues of culturing together different cell types typical of meat that are partly responsible for meat’s organoleptic characteristics. Indeed, the existence of a cross talk between adipose and muscle cells has critical effects on the outcome of the co-culture, leading to a general inhibition of myogenesis in favor of adipogenic differentiation. This review aims to clarify the main mechanisms and the key molecules involved in this cross talk and provide an overview of the most recent and successful meat culture 3D strategies for overcoming this challenge, focusing on the approaches based on farm-animal-derived cells.

Auxenochlorella pyrenoidosa extract supplementation replacing fetal bovine serum for Carassius auratus muscle cell culture under low-serum conditions

Cultured meat production requires large-scale cell proliferation in vitro with the supplementation of necessary media especially serum. This study investigated the capacity of Auxenochlorella pyrenoidosa extract (APE) to replace fetal bovine serum (FBS) for cell culture under low-serum conditions using Carassius auratus muscle (CAM) cells. Supplementation with APE and 5% FBS in the culture media significantly promoted the proliferation of CAM cells and increased the expression of MyoD in cells compared to that with 5% FBS through cell counting kit-8 and immunofluorescence staining assay. In addition, CAM cells in the media containing 5% FBS and APE could be continually cultured for 4 passages, and the cell number was 1.58 times higher than the counterpart without APE in long-term culture. Moreover, supplementation with APE realized large-scale culture on microcarriers under low-serum conditions, and more adherent cells were observed on microcarriers in 2% FBS supplemented with APE, compared with those in 2% FBS and 10% FBS without APE. These findings highlighted a potentially promising application of APE in muscle cell culture under low-serum conditions for cultured meat production.

Bioprocessing by Decellularized Scaffold Biomaterials in Cultured Meat: A Review

As novel carrier biomaterials, decellularized scaffolds have promising potential in the development of cellular agriculture and edible cell-cultured meat applications. Decellularized scaffold biomaterials have characteristics of high biocompatibility, bio-degradation, biological safety and various bioactivities, which could potentially compensate for the shortcomings of synthetic bio-scaffold materials. They can provide suitable microstructure and mechanical support for cell adhesion, differentiation and proliferation. To our best knowledge, the preparation and application of plant and animal decellularized scaffolds have not been summarized. Herein, a comprehensive presentation of the principles, preparation methods and application progress of animal-derived and plant-derived decellularized scaffolds has been reported in detail. Additionally, their application in the culture of skeletal muscle, fat and connective tissue, which constitute the main components of edible cultured meat, have also been generally discussed. We also illustrate the potential applications and prospects of decellularized scaffold materials in future foods. This review of cultured meat and decellularized scaffold biomaterials provides new insight and great potential research prospects in food application and cellular agriculture.

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

In vitro cultured meat is an emerging area of research focus with an innovative approach through tissue engineering (i.e., cellular engineering) to meet the global food demand. The manufacturing of lab-cultivated meat is an innovative business that alleviates life-threatening environmental issues concerning public health and animal well-being on the global platform. There has been a noteworthy advancement in cultivating artificial meat, but still, there are numerous challenges that impede the swift headway of lab-grown meat production at a commercially large scale. In this review, we focus on the manufacturing of edible scaffolds for cultured meat production. In brief, first an introduction to cultivating artificial meat and its current scenario in the market is provided. Further, a discussion on the understanding of composition, cellular, and molecular communications in muscle tissue is presented, which are vital to scaling up the production of lab-grown meat. In continuation, the major components (e.g., cells, biomaterial scaffolds, and their manufacturing technologies, media, and potential bioreactors) for cultured meat production are conferred followed by a comprehensive discussion on the most recent advances in lab-cultured meat. Finally, existing challenges and opportunities including future research perspectives for scaling-up cultured meat production are discussed with conclusive interpretations.

Tailoring a Gelatin/Agar Matrix for the Synergistic Effect with Cells to Produce High-Quality Cultured Meat

Edible scaffolds are needed in cultured meat to mimic meat's three-dimensional structure by organizing cells and replenishing the insufficient meat mass of cells alone. However, there is still a large gap between slaughtered meat and cells developed into tissues using scaffolds. This is mainly due to the difference in size, texture, flavor, and taste. In this study, we develop a coating matrix to modify the surface of textured vegetable protein (TVP), a vegetable cell support, to produce cultured meat having slaughtered meat's essential characteristics. We optimized the fish gelatin/agar matrix's microstructure by controlling the ratio of the two biopolymers, stably introducing a cell adhesive environment on the TVP. By coating the optimized gelatin/agar matrix on the TVP's surface using an easy and fast dipping method, hybrid cultured meat composed of animal cells and plant protein was produced. As the cells proliferated, their synergistic effect permitted the cultured meat's texture, flavor, and taste to reach a level comparable to that of slaughtered meat. The TVP-based cultured meat prepared with the present technology has been recreated as high-quality cultured meat by satisfying five challenging factors: cells, texture, cost, mass, and flavor.