A New Edible Film to Produce In Vitro Meat

Nicole Orellana,Diego Benavente,Pablo Prieto,Javier Enrione,Cristian A Acevedo,Elizabeth Sánchez

doi:10.3390/foods9020185

Nicole Orellana, Diego Benavente + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9020185

Copy DOI

Abstract

In vitro meat is a novel concept of food science and biotechnology. Methods to produce in vitro meat employ muscle cells cultivated on a scaffold in a serum-free medium using a bioreactor. The microstructure of the scaffold is a key factor, because muscle cells must be oriented to generate parallel alignments of fibers. This work aimed to develop a new scaffold (microstructured film) to grow muscle fibers. The microstructured edible films were made using micromolding technology. A micromold was tailor-made using a laser cutting machine to obtain parallel fibers with a diameter in the range of 70–90 µm. Edible films were made by means of solvent casting using non-mammalian biopolymers. Myoblasts were cultured on flat and microstructured films at three cell densities. Cells on the microstructured films grew with a muscle fiber morphology, but in the case of using the flat film, they only produced unorganized cell proliferation. Myogenic markers were assessed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. After 14 days, the expression of desmin, myogenin, and myosin heavy chain were significantly higher in microstructured films compared to the flat films. The formation of fiber morphology and the high expression of myogenic markers indicated that a microstructured edible film can be used for the production of in vitro meat.

Highlights

In vitro or cultured meat has emerged as a novel concept in the field of food science and technology, which requires novel biotechnological tools in order to be investigated and developed
It is well known that myoblasts need to be aligned to correctly develop the myogenic differentiation, and later to form muscle fibers
The development of a microstructured template allowed the fabrication of films with adequate geometry that promoted parallel alignment of myoblasts seeded onto them, which is an essential requirement for further formation of muscle fibers

Summary

Introduction

In vitro or cultured meat has emerged as a novel concept in the field of food science and technology, which requires novel biotechnological tools in order to be investigated and developed. The benefits of industrialization of in vitro meat are related to animal welfare, food hazards, human health, and environmental impact [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Three motivators have been identified to investigate the production of livestock meat alternatives: (a) with the predicted substantial increase in meat demand, we will quickly run out of production capacity, as already a large proportion of arable land is dedicated to livestock feeding and management; b) there is a growing concern about the environmental impact of livestock breeding; and (c) high density herding and slaughtering has sparked societal concerns about animal welfare and public health [1]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion