Cultivation of bovine lipid chunks on Aloe vera scaffolds

Abstract Aloe vera, renowned for its medicinal and food applications, offers a sustainable, scalable, and cost-effective scaffold material for cultured meat production. Our method repurposes Aloe vera parenchyma into a sustainable and innovative scaffold for CM production. These scaffolds, derived f...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gilad Gome, Benyamin Chak, Shadi Tawil, Itai Rotem, Ivana Ribarski-Chorev, Jonathan Giron, Oded Shoseyov, Sharon Schlesinger
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-02-01
Series:npj Science of Food
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-025-00391-1
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Summary:Abstract Aloe vera, renowned for its medicinal and food applications, offers a sustainable, scalable, and cost-effective scaffold material for cultured meat production. Our method repurposes Aloe vera parenchyma into a sustainable and innovative scaffold for CM production. These scaffolds, derived from agricultural byproducts, feature a porous structure that retains liquids and supports bovine mesenchymal stem cell (bMSC) adhesion, proliferation, and extracellular matrix formation. By incorporating oleic acid, the scaffolds enable the accumulation of fat-like tissue, creating “lipid chunks” that can enhance the texture and flavor profile of plant-based meat alternatives. Furthermore, scalability is addressed by culturing the scaffolds in a macrofluidic single-use bioreactor (MSUB), showcasing the potential for large-scale production. This work demonstrates Aloe vera scaffold’s versatility as a cost-effective material and highlights its promise for sustainable protein solutions and tissue engineering applications.
ISSN:2396-8370