Researchers from Singapore have successfully developed a promising cultivated meat prototype by co-culturing porcine muscle and fat cells in a decellularised asparagus scaffold.
The prototype development was part of a study aiming to expand the use of decellularized plant scaffolds beyond regenerative medicine, specifically for cultivated meat production. According to the researchers, this prototype closely mimics conventional meat in texture and flavor and could pave the way for large-scale cultivated meat biomanufacturing.
Plant-based edible scaffolds offer essential physical and biological support for tissue development, enabling more complex cultivated meat products with structure and volume. Still, the plant cells of these scaffolds need to be removed in a lengthy process called decellularisation to preserve only the microstructure that mimics the extracellular matrix (the natural structure of animal tissue).
The scientists say decellularisation enables scaffold functionality and enhances muscle cell alignment, cell adhesion, and proliferation, resulting in cultivated products that more closely resemble traditional cuts. In addition, decellularized scaffold biomaterials provide higher biocompatibility, biodegradation, biological safety, and various bioactivities, an advantage over synthetic scaffold materials.
Asparagus scaffolds
The scientists utilized a decision matrix to select suitable plant and fungi materials for decellularisation, focusing on edibility, digestibility, and cell alignment features.
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