Research on cultured meat has primarily focused on the mass proliferation or differentiation of muscle cells; thus, the food characteristics of cultured meat remain relatively underexplored. As the ...quality of meat is determined by its organoleptic properties, cultured meat with similar sensory characteristics to animal-derived meat is highly desirable. In this study, we control the organoleptic and nutritional properties of cultured meat by tailoring the 2D differentiation of primary bovine myoblasts and primary bovine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells on gelatin/alginate scaffolds with varying stiffness. We assess the effect of muscle and adipose differentiation quality on the sensory properties of cultured meat. Thereafter, we fabricate cultured meat with similar sensory profiles to that of conventional beef by assembling the muscle and adipose constructs composed of highly differentiated cells. We introduce a strategy to produce cultured meat with enriched food characteristics by regulating cell differentiation with scaffold engineering.
Abstract
Guided bone regeneration aided by the application of occlusive membranes is a promising therapy for diverse inflammatory periodontal diseases. Symbiosis, homeostasis between the host ...microbiome and cells, occurs in the oral environment under normal, but not pathologic, conditions. Here, we develop a symbiotically integrating occlusive membrane by mimicking the tooth enamel growth or multiple nucleation biomineralization processes. We perform human saliva and in vivo canine experiments to confirm that the symbiotically integrating occlusive membrane induces a symbiotic healing environment. Moreover, we show that the membrane exhibits tractability and enzymatic stability, maintaining the healing space during the entire guided bone regeneration therapy period. We apply the symbiotically integrating occlusive membrane to treat inflammatory-challenged cases in vivo, namely, the open and closed healing of canine premolars with severe periodontitis. We find that the membrane promotes symbiosis, prevents negative inflammatory responses, and improves cellular integration. Finally, we show that guided bone regeneration therapy with the symbiotically integrating occlusive membrane achieves fast healing of gingival soft tissue and alveolar bone.
Demand for a new protein source to replace meat is increasing to solve various issues such as limited resources and food shortages. Diverse protein sources are being developed, but alternative ...proteins such as plants or insects need to improve people's perceptions and organoleptic properties. Therefore, cell-based meat research is intensively conducted, and most studies are aimed at scale-up and cost-down via the research of scaffolds and culture media. Here, we proposed a new food by cell powder meat (CPM), which has a high protein content and a meaty flavor. The powder was manufactured 76% more cost-effectively with less serum than the conventional culture medium and without 3D scaffold. Due to its comprehensive characteristics, the potential applicability of CPM in the cell-based meat industry could be expected.
Cell cultured meat is artificial meat obtained by culturing animal-derived cells in vitro, and received significant attention as an emerging future protein source. The mass proliferation of cells in ...the cultured meat production is a strenuous process that delays the commercialization of cultured meat because it requires an expensive culture medium for a long period. Herein, we report on a strategy to develop advanced cultured meat using fish gelatin mass growth-inducing culture (MAGIC) powder and myoblast sheets. The MAGIC powder had an edible gelatin microsphere (GMS) structure and exhibited different morphologies and bonding activities depending on the degree of crosslinking. We analyzed the loading and release of nutrients for each GMS with diverse surface properties, and selected the most effective GMSs to improve the proliferation of myoblasts under serum-reduced medium. The GMSs exerted four significant functions in the culture of myoblast sheets, and consequently produced cost- and time-effective meat-like cell sheets than the conventional method. We prepared cultured meats composed of cell sheet containing GMSs and evaluated the quality of the cultured meat by comparing the tissue properties with soy meat and chicken breast.
Abstract Cultured meat is emerging as a new type of food that can provide animal protein in a sustainable way. Many previous studies employed various types of scaffolds to develop cultured meat with ...similar properties to slaughtered meat. However, important properties such as flavor were not discussed, even though they determine the quality of food. Flavor characteristics vary dramatically depending on the amount and types of amino acids and sugars that produce volatile compounds through the Maillard reaction upon cooking. In this study, a flavor-switchable scaffold is developed to release meaty flavor compounds only upon cooking temperature mimicking the Maillard reaction of slaughtered meat. By introducing a switchable flavor compound (SFC) into a gelatin-based hydrogel, we fabricate a functional scaffold that can enhance the aromatic properties of cultured meat. The temperature-responsive SFC stably remains in the scaffold during the cell culture period and can be released at the cooking temperature. Surprisingly, cultured meat fabricated with this flavor-switchable scaffold exhibits a flavor pattern similar to that of beef. This research suggests a strategy to develop cultured meat with enhanced sensorial characteristics by developing a functional scaffold which can mimic the natural cooking flavors of conventional meat.
Abstract
Leisure activities can contribute to healthy aging (An et al., 2022). However, little research exists on leisure activities with soft stigma (Kraus, 2010). Yet, social dancing in Colatec ...(i.e., Korean daytime discos for older adults) is becoming more popular among older Koreans. Using qualitative methods, we examined how Colatec social dancing affects Korean older adults’ healthy aging. Thirteen participants aged 60 to 75 who regularly social dance at Colatecs voluntarily participated in an in-depth semi-structured interview that lasted between 45 to 75 minutes. The audiotaped interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed following interpretive phenomenological analysis (Smith & Osborn, 2003). Trustworthiness was assessed with member checking and researcher triangulation. Results revealed that although it is still culturally stigmatized, Colatec social dancing was essential for participants’ healthy aging. Participants perceived numerous benefits from social dancing that motivated their enduring engagement, despite the risks of the social stigma associated with Colatec dancing. Themes that emerged included: 1) Exercise from social dancing alleviated stress and depressive feelings associated with negative life events; 2) Colatec dancing boosted many participants’ self-esteem, enhancing their overall wellbeing; and 3) Meaningful social connections were developed among participants. Findings align with existing literature on how moderate physical activity contributes to older adults’ health (Bauman et al., 2016). Moreover, leisure serves as a social lubricant and enhances healthy aging (Mitas et al., 2011). Lastly, perceived by participants as a “playground”, Colatec affords older Koreans a space for engaging leisure activity which facilitated their healthy aging process (Heo et al., 2018).
Edible scaffolds are needed in cultured meat to mimic meat’s three-dimensional structure by organizing cells and replenishing the insufficient meat mass of cells alone. However, there is still a ...large gap between slaughtered meat and cells developed into tissues using scaffolds. This is mainly due to the difference in size, texture, flavor, and taste. In this study, we develop a coating matrix to modify the surface of textured vegetable protein (TVP), a vegetable cell support, to produce cultured meat having slaughtered meat’s essential characteristics. We optimized the fish gelatin/agar matrix’s microstructure by controlling the ratio of the two biopolymers, stably introducing a cell adhesive environment on the TVP. By coating the optimized gelatin/agar matrix on the TVP’s surface using an easy and fast dipping method, hybrid cultured meat composed of animal cells and plant protein was produced. As the cells proliferated, their synergistic effect permitted the cultured meat’s texture, flavor, and taste to reach a level comparable to that of slaughtered meat. The TVP-based cultured meat prepared with the present technology has been recreated as high-quality cultured meat by satisfying five challenging factors: cells, texture, cost, mass, and flavor.
Cell-based protein sources are considered promising future food materials due to their nutritional potential and sustainability. However, the process of massive cell proliferation, which involves an ...expensive culture medium and is time-consuming, slows the development of cell-based future foods. Herein, we report on the development of cost-effective culture media prepared from egg whites, microalgae, and silk extracts. The developed culture media showed cell proliferation efficiency similar to that of the conventional medium group while maintaining the bovine myoblasts in an undifferentiated state. Furthermore, an improved degree of myogenic differentiation was observed in myoblasts proliferating using the developed culture medium. We selected the optimal cell culture medium for food production by deriving the cost-effectiveness of each culture medium for cell growth. This research provides fundamental insights into building sustainable food systems and cellular agriculture.
When individuals engage in social contexts such as attending a college basketball game, opportunities to enrich and broaden social connections with others often transpire. The University of Notre ...Dame Women's Basketball (NDWB) program has a comparably larger and more loyal fan base than most universities in the country, of which older women comprise a big portion of season ticket holders. The purpose of this study was to investigate the motivations and meanings of being a NDWB season ticket holder among older women. Nineteen participants ages 55-85 years old completed individual interviews. The findings indicated that being season ticket holders fostered a strong sense of identification with the team, allowing them to have a sense of pride of being part of the program. Additionally, being season ticket holders enabled the older women to enhance their social contacts and friendships with other women that fostered a sense of community.
