SBIR-STTR Award

In the coming decades cell-cultured meat is expected to play a significant role in the development of sustainable climate-friendly food systems to feed the growing population. Analysis of beef production finds that switching from conventional to cultured beef production could result in a 95%reduction in land use and 92% reduction in carbon footprint. However to realize these impacts new innovations in cell-culture infrastructure are needed to address in the cost inefficiencies and scalability issues that currently hinder commercial progress in this market. CytoNest will address these gaps by developing a novel perfusion-based dynamic cell culture system and scaled edible 3D scaffolds enabling the cost-effective generation of cultured meat products that mimic the texture and structure of authentic whole-cut meats. The proposed scaffolding technology is uniquely tunable offering unmatched (>80%) uniform porosities size vasculature memetic channels and cell-specific biochemical and mechanical properties. Stable for the weeks-long cell culture and capable of supporting 3500 cm^3 volume per scaffold (e.g. L25 cm — W15 cm — H10 cm) this technology is well-positioned for commercial-scale cultured meat production. This project seeks to advance this technology through the following objectives: 1) Investigate edible fiber-cell interactions with immortalized bovine satellite cell lines and C2C12 myoblasts; 2) Determine meat structure development parameters on scaffold; and 3) Develop a perfusion-based dynamic cell culture system to validate the scalability assumptions. Successful completion of these objectives will prepare CytoNest for future work focused on implementing the proposed technology at scale and demonstrating proof of concept with whole cut meat cultivation.