Designing Highly Aligned Cultured Meat with Nanopatterns-Assisted Bio-Printed Fat Scaffolds

• Published in: Journal of Biosystems Engineering Vol. 48; no. 4; pp. 503 - 511
• Main Authors: Park, Sangbae, Hong, Yeonggeol, Park, Sunho, Kim, Woochan, Gwon, Yonghyun, Jang, Kyoung-Je, Kim, Jangho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Nature Singapore 01.12.2023; 한국농업기계학회
• Subjects: Agriculture; Control; Engineering; Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology; Mechatronics; Original Article; Robotics; 농학; Nanopattern; Fat scaffold; 3D printing; Cultured meat
• ISSN: 1738-1266; 2234-1862
• DOI: 10.1007/s42853-023-00208-7

Purpose Over the past decade, cultured meat has attracted considerable attention as a sustainable alternative. Mimicking highly aligned muscle tissues and adipose tissues to replicate real meat poses a significant challenge to the development of cultured meat. Recently, techniques involving co-culture or post-assembly of different types of tissues have been introduced for cultured meat production. However, there is a need for a more straightforward approach for simultaneously replicating muscle and fat tissues. Methods In this study, we developed nano-cultured meat that recapitulates the structural and physiological characteristics of real meat. GelMA was dissolved in an oil-in-water emulsion to create a fat bioink, and a fat scaffold was fabricated using a digital light processing-based 3D printer. Subsequently, the empty spaces within the fat scaffold were filled with myoblast-laden hydrogel, followed by integration with nanopatterns. Results The resultant nano-cultured meat not only mimics highly aligned muscle tissue similar to real meat but also allows for the tunable reproduction of fat tissue. Conclusion Overall, the proposed nano-cultured meat offers valuable insights for achieving a high level of maturity and developing customizable next-generation cultured meat.