Embedded Bioprinting Enables Precise Fabrication of Cultured Meat with Authentic Structural Properties

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Dongwei Wu - (Author)
  • Shumin Pang - (Author)
  • Sabrina Bäther - , Chair of Food Engineering, Technical University of Berlin (Author)
  • Lisa Woelken - (Author)
  • Mariia Abyzova - (Author)
  • Jordi Morales-Dalmau - (Author)
  • Astrid Haibel - (Author)
  • Yunpeng Jia - (Author)
  • Johanna Berg - (Author)
  • Benedikt B. Kaufer - (Author)
  • Caroline Denesvre - (Author)
  • Anja Maria Wagemans - , Chair of Food Engineering, Technical University of Berlin (Author)
  • Cornelia Rauh - (Author)
  • Jens Kurreck - (Author)

Abstract

Cultured meat has emerged as a promising alternative to conventional meat, offering potential solutions to environmental, ethical, and health-related concerns. However, current technologies often yield unstructured products like minced meat, falling short of replicating the complex architecture and marbling of natural cuts, which are the key factors for consumer acceptance. This study utilizes a hybrid fabrication approach combining casting and embedded 3D bioprinting to produce cultured meat with complex structured architectures, leading to improvements in both print quality and efficiency. Muscle tissue, the main structural component, was first cast using a hydrogel-cell mixture, followed by precise deposition of adipocytes to create intricate fat structures. We demonstrate that this method incorporated with alginate hydrogel was compatible with chicken and pork cell types. It enabled the production of artificial cultured meat resembling pork, beef, and fish. To replicate the natural structure of meat, we used micro-computed tomography (μCT) to capture the fine architecture of a pork steak. A computational algorithm then segmented muscle and fat regions for obtaining their 3D models, allowing the fabrication of a negative mold for casting muscle portion and the acquisition of deposition paths for embedded bioprinting fat component. Oil-emulsion food dyes were employed to replicate the natural coloration of meat. The resulting cultured meat closely mimicked the structural complexity of its natural counterpart. By recreating the appearance of conventional meat, this approach has the potential to enhance consumer acceptance and facilitate the transition to more sustainable and ethical meat alternatives.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number111795
JournalFood hydrocolloids
Volume171
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 25 Jul 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0002-8110-720X/work/189291532
Mendeley 2609c395-f02d-3db2-966f-469fcc54ac92
unpaywall 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2025.111795
Scopus 105012157509

Keywords

Keywords

  • Bioink, Rheology, Alginate hydrogel, Muscle and fat structures, Bioprinted meat