Imma Perfetto
Cosmos science journalist
Cultured or lab-grown meats have been touted as next great alternative to animal products since the first artificial burger patty was grown in 2013.
Though lab-grown meat products have been commercially available in some countries since 2020, they remain expensive, novelty foods with many challenges to address to become widely available.
One major obstacle is the creation of 3-dimensonal cuts of meat, like steak or chicken breast, because large-scale tissue needs vascular networks to deliver nutrients and oxygen to all the densely packed cells.
Researchers from the University of Tokyo in Japan have designed a solution. The device, a “hollow-fibre bioreactor”, can produce more than 10g of whole cut chicken muscle.
It is presented in a paper in the journal Trends in Biotechnology.
“We’re using semipermeable hollow fibres, which mimic blood vessels in their ability to deliver nutrients to the tissues,” says senior author Professor Shoji Takeuchi.
“These fibres are already commonly used in household water filters and dialysis machines for patients with kidney disease. It’s exciting to discover that these tiny fibres can also effectively help create artificial tissues and, possibly, whole organs in the future.”
The array of more than 1,000, roughly 0.3mm in diameter, hollow fibres were arranged uniformly in a lattice structure. Cell culture medium was pushed through the fibres to allow densely packed and highly aligned muscle fibres to form around them.
“We overcame the challenge of achieving perfusion across thick tissues by arranging hollow fibres with microscale precision,” Takeuchi says.
“Remaining challenges include improving oxygen delivery in larger tissues, automating fibre removal, and transitioning to food-safe materials.
“Solutions may include use of artificial oxygen carriers to mimic red blood cells, bundle-removal mechanisms that efficiently remove fibres in a single operation, and edible or recyclable hollow fibres.
“Beyond food, this platform may also impact regenerative medicine and soft robotics.”
The technology has a long way to go before hollow-fibre bioreactor-created chicken hits our plates. But Australians and New Zealanders could be seeing the first cell-cultured food hit restaurant menus soon.
The product, from Australian company Vow Group, was originally submitted as a novel food application in January 2023. Last week the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Board approved the cell-cultured quail.
This would also allow for the amendment of the Food Standards Code to provide a clear regulatory framework for future cell-cultured food applications.
The food ministers now have 60 days to consider the FSANZ decision.
