Japanese researchers overcome the basic obstacles to cultivating meat production by creating artificial circulation systems that are able to grow realistic, centimeter-thick chicken tissue.
Scientists at the University of Tokyo have developed a hollow fiber bioreactor (HFB) that mimics blood vessels, allowing nutrients and oxygen to reach cells throughout the tissues – solving the key limitations that make the meat grown in the laboratory thin and weaker.
“Our study proposes a scalable, top-down strategy for producing fully cut cultured meat using perfused hollow fiber bioreactors,” said Shoji Takeuchi, senior writer at the University of Tokyo. “The system can enable cells to distribute, align, contractile force and improve food-related properties.”
The innovative system uses semi-permeable hollow fiber arrays (similar to hollow fibers in water filters and kidney dialysis machines) with a microscope spacing of approximately 0.55mm as the precise mode. This uniform distribution ensures that all cells remain within 350 μm of the nutrient source, thus preventing central cell death that plagued previous methods.
The research team demonstrated their technique by creating chicken muscle tissue with a large number of improved texture, protein expression and flavor compounds compared to non-liquefied control samples. Further adopting this concept, they used a robot assembly system to build a larger bioreactor with 1,125 hollow fibers, resulting in a piece of cultured chicken weighing 10 grams more than 10 grams.
“We are using translucent hollow fibers that mimic blood vessels, which can deliver nutrients to tissues,” explains Takeuchi. “It’s exciting to find that these tiny fibers can also effectively help build artificial tissue and potentially make entire organs in the future.”
In addition to creating more realistic meat alternatives, the technology can revolutionize medical applications, such as tissue engineering for organ replacement and drug testing. Researchers are exploring further improvements, including edible hollow fibers that do not need to be removed after tissue formation.
“Cultivated meat provides a sustainable, ethical alternative to traditional meat,” Takeuchi notes. “However, it is still difficult to replicate the texture and taste of a fully cut meat. Our technology enables the production of structured meat to have improved texture and flavor and potentially accelerate its commercial viability.”
While challenges remain – including reduced production costs, regulatory approvals and consumer acceptance, the breakthroughs show significant progress in commercially viable fostering meat products that are closely matched with conventional meats in structural and dietary experience.
The study was published on April 16 in the Journal of Biotechnology Trends.
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