Flavor-switchable scaffold for cultured meat with enhanced aromatic properties

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 5450 - 11
• Main Authors: Lee, Milae, Choi, Woojin, Lee, Jeong Min, Lee, Seung Tae, Koh, Won-Gun, Hong, Jinkee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 09.07.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 13/107; 631/61/54; 639/301/54; Amino acids; Animal protein; Animals; Aroma compounds; Cattle; Cell culture; Cooking; Cultured meat; Flavor compounds; Flavoring Agents - chemistry; Flavors; Food; Food quality; Food sources; Gelatin; Gelatin - chemistry; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Hydrogels - chemistry; In Vitro Meat; Maillard Reaction; Meat; Meat - analysis; multidisciplinary; Scaffolds; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sensory evaluation; Sensory properties; Taste; Temperature; Tissue Scaffolds - chemistry; Volatile compounds
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49521-5

Cultured meat is emerging as a new type of food that can provide animal protein in a sustainable way. Many previous studies employed various types of scaffolds to develop cultured meat with similar properties to slaughtered meat. However, important properties such as flavor were not discussed, even though they determine the quality of food. Flavor characteristics vary dramatically depending on the amount and types of amino acids and sugars that produce volatile compounds through the Maillard reaction upon cooking. In this study, a flavor-switchable scaffold is developed to release meaty flavor compounds only upon cooking temperature mimicking the Maillard reaction of slaughtered meat. By introducing a switchable flavor compound (SFC) into a gelatin-based hydrogel, we fabricate a functional scaffold that can enhance the aromatic properties of cultured meat. The temperature-responsive SFC stably remains in the scaffold during the cell culture period and can be released at the cooking temperature. Surprisingly, cultured meat fabricated with this flavor-switchable scaffold exhibits a flavor pattern similar to that of beef. This research suggests a strategy to develop cultured meat with enhanced sensorial characteristics by developing a functional scaffold which can mimic the natural cooking flavors of conventional meat. Flavour properties are often overlooked in meat cultivation strategies and in the development of culture scaffolds. Here, the authors develop a flavour-switchable scaffold for the enhancement of sensorial characteristics of cultured meat.