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
- 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 ...
- Logistics Campus at former Allstate headquarters off to slow start, with plans for lab-grown meat plant on hold
When Dermody Properties announced its first tenant in September for the massive logistics campus supplanting the former Allstate headquarters along I-294, only one of five warehouse buildings planned ...
- Butchers and farmers say no to lab-grown meat
What can already be found in supermarkets in Singapore and the USA should be banned in Styria. This is what butchers, farmers and politicians are ...
- 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.
- Mackay-Isaac’s Hughes family reckon lab grown meat ‘not real meat’
Australians love beef and in the near future they might be able to enjoy a steak that was grown in a lab rather than on a farm.
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
- 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.
- What Is Lab-Grown Meat?
Barbie Cervoni, MS, RD, CD/N, CDE, is a registered dietitian (RD) and certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES). She has spent most of her career counseling patients with diabetes ...
- 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.
- Arizona bill aims to regulate labeling of meat alternatives, but opponents say it’s too broad
Arizona Rep. Quang Nguyen, R-Prescott Valley, introduced a bill aimed at regulating the labeling of lab-grown meat and plant-based alternatives, sparking debate on transparency and consumer choice in ...
- Dutch cultured meat firm Meatable holding first EU tasting today
The Dutch company Meatable will let people taste a sausage made from laboratory-grown on Wednesday, a first for both the Netherlands and the European Union. The sale of lab-grown meat is not yet ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Cultured meat
[google_news title=”” keyword=”cultured meat” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]