This diagram shows the steps researchers took to isolate and seed primary bovine satellite cells on a decellularized spinach leaf scaffold.
A spinach leaf proves to be an edible scaffold for lab-grown meat, new research by Professor of Engineering Glenn Gaudette shows
Spinach, a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly scaffold, provided an edible platform upon which a team of researchers led by a Boston College engineer has grown meat cells, an advance that may accelerate the development of cultured meat, according to a new report in the advance online edition of the journal Food BioScience.
Stripped of all but its veiny skeleton, the circulatory network of a spinach leaf successfully served as an edible substrate upon which the researchers grew bovine animal protein, said Boston College Professor of Engineering Glenn Gaudette, the lead author of the new study. The results may help increase the production of cellular agriculture products to meet rising demand and reduce environmental costs.
“Cellular agriculture has the potential to produce meat that replicates the structure of traditionally grown meat while minimizing the land and water requirements,” said Gaudette, the inaugural chair of BC’s new Engineering Department. “We demonstrate that decellularizing spinach leaves can be used as an edible scaffold to grow bovine muscle cells as they develop into meat.”
Earlier advances by Gaudette in this area garnered worldwide attention. In 2017, Gaudette and a multi-university team showed that human heart tissue could be cultivated on a spinach leaf scaffold, which was chosen because it offered a natural circulatory system that is nearly impossible to replicate with available scientific tools and techniques.
“In our previous work, we demonstrated that spinach leaves could be used to create heart muscle patches,” said Gaudette. “Instead of using spinach to regrow replacement human parts, this latest project demonstrates that we can use spinach to grow meat.”
Gaudette said the team, which included Worcester Polytechnic Institute graduate students Jordan Jones and Alex Rebello, removed the plant cells from the spinach leaf and used the remaining vascular framework to grow isolated cow precursor meat cells. The cells remained viable for up to 14 days and differentiated into muscle mass
“We need environmentally and ethically friendly ways to grow meat in order to feed the growing population,” said Gaudette, whose research is supported by New Harvest. “We set out to see if we can use an edible scaffold to accomplish this. Muscle cells are anchorage dependent, meaning they need to grab on to something in order to grow. In the lab, we can use plastic tissue culture plates, but plastic is not edible.”
The researchers point out that the successful results will lead to further characterization of the materials and scientific processes to better understand how to meet consumer demand and gauge how large-scale production could be accomplished in accordance with health and safety guidelines.
“We need to scale this up by growing more cells on the leaves to create a thicker steak,” said Gaudette. “In addition, we are looking at other vegetables and other animal and fish cells.”
Original Article: A new leaf for cellular agriculture
More from: Boston College | Worcester Polytechnic Institute
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Lab-grown meat
- Arizona Senate says lab-grown meat needs special label on it
It won’t be illegal in Arizona to call food products grown in a laboratory “meat,” “poultry” or “fish.” But marketers will have to add a ...
- Good lab-meat should taste like real meat, says expert
In this week’s Net Hero Podcast, we spoke to Che Connon, Founder of biotechnology company, BSF Enterprise who told us it is difficult to recreate the complexities of real meat ...
- What do consumers think about lab-grown meat?
Consumers prefer conventionally grown meats versus lab-grown meats, according to Purdue University’s March Consumer Food Insights Report.
- Arizona Senate: OK to sell lab-grown meat but only with clear label
Sen. John Kavanagh added an amendment that stripped out the prohibition on calling lab-grown proteins by their familiar names. “This bill originally started out as a bill which simply said that if ...
- Bills on lab-grown meat, labor unions, tax breaks still on table for Alabama lawmakers
Bills by Sen. Jack Williams, a Republican from Mobile County, and Rep. Danny Crawford, R-Athens, would exempt wood posts, barbed wire, metal gates, and other materials used for livestock fencing from ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Lab-grown meat
[google_news title=”” keyword=”lab-grown meat” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Cultured meat
- Alabama House approves ban on meat from cultured animal cells
Last year, the USDA and the FDA for the first time approved companies to produce cell-cultivated meat products to be sold in the United States.
- Could this pink rice be the food of the future? Scientists say it’s more nutritious than normal rice
A South Korean research team has developed a new hybrid food, an affordable and eco-friendly source of protein, in a bid to develop a sustainable future option.
- What do consumers think about lab-grown meat?
Consumers prefer conventionally grown meats versus lab-grown meats, according to Purdue University’s March Consumer Food Insights Report.
- The GOP's got a growing beef with lab-made meat
The industry of lab grown meat is still in its infancy, but that hasn't stopped politicians from trying to turn it into a culture war issue.
- Cultured Quail? It’s Available in Singapore
Australian company Vow this month received regulatory approval from Singapore Food Agency for a rare lab-grown meat.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Cultured meat
[google_news title=”” keyword=”cultured meat” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]