Abstract
In light of pressing issues, such as sustainability and climate change, future protein sources will increasingly turn from livestock to cell-based production and manufacturing activities. In the case of cell-based or cultured meat a relevant aspect would be the differentiation of muscle cells into mature muscle tissue, as well as how the microsystems that have been developed to date can be developed for larger-scale cultures. To delve into this aspect we review previous research that has been carried out on skeletal muscle tissue engineering and how various biological and physicochemical factors, mechanical and electrical stimuli, affect muscle cell differentiation on an experimental scale. Material aspects such as the different biomaterials used and 3D vs. 2D configurations in the context of muscle cell differentiation will also be discussed. Finally, the ability to translate these systems to more scalable bioreactor configurations and eventually bring them to a commercial scale will be touched upon.
Highlights
Differentiation: From BioengineeringWith an impending food crisis and irreversible climate change looming at close quarters, conventional animal agriculture and its produce of livestock meat must be supplemented, if not replaced, by more sustainable, alternative sources of protein
One would believe that the differentiation of myoblasts into myotubes and myofibers is essential to obtain the desired texture of the final product; would this same requirement for differentiation extend to nutritional quality? Are scaffolds, such as those used in tissue engineering, required to promote muscle differentiation in the production of cultured meat? Mosa Meat, Upside Foods, and Eat Just are a few companies that have successfully grown cell-based meat in their labs
There are three different muscle types classified under muscle tissue—smooth, cardiac, and skeletal muscle, with the latter being the most commonly used for cultured meat
Summary
With an impending food crisis and irreversible climate change looming at close quarters, conventional animal agriculture and its produce of livestock meat must be supplemented, if not replaced, by more sustainable, alternative sources of protein. The development of alternative protein sources that closely resemble meat—cell-based, cultured, or cultivated meat in particular—would go a long way towards reducing the harmful impacts of conventional animal agriculture and serve as a pragmatic approach towards sustainability. At present their cultivated meat is in a comminuted form, as seen in products such as nuggets, hot dogs, and burger patties, where scaffolds can be dispensed with. How would the initial mechanical properties of the scaffold affect differentiation and the development of texture, eventually influencing the quality of the final product?. In this article we will review the literature and discuss systems for muscle cell differentiation in the context of practicing the same methods towards the objective of making cultured meat products. We will discuss here how the knowledge and techniques that have been developed at the microscale can be employed to the best effect
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