The scaffold concept for alternative proteins

Abstract

The present paper extends the tissue engineering (TE) scaffold concept to scaffolds for alternative proteins (AP). The textural characteristics of a food product, which is a key hurdle in increasing consumer acceptance for alternative proteins, can be addressed by using the scaffold as a template, which provides a degree of freedom for enhancement of its nutritional properties. Examples of tissue engineering and alternative protein scaffold types are first discussed to show how the scaffold concept can be applied to both. For both TE and AP, scaffold processes can be classified as adopting either top-down or bottom-up approaches, each associated with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. These scaffolds are meant for very different environments, thus the materials for their construction are often non-exchangeable. However, for the newer application of AP, the materials and methods for scaffold construction can be drawn from the substantial amount of work that has already been done on alternative proteins and meat analogues. The functionalities and applications of cultured meat (a special type of AP) scaffolds are compared to those of TE scaffolds. Applying and adapting the TE scaffold concept to the newer field of alternative proteins is foreseen to promote a more rapid development of the latter in terms of processing and productization.