Simona Fehlmann
ETH Zurich and sallea
At present laboratory meat production is restricted to thin layers that are primarily turned into mince. Simona Fehlmann and her team from ETH Zürich are planning to refine an edible foam as a framework on which cells can grow into a thick piece of meat. This framework is based on a system of open pores, which will permit more homogenous distribution of nutrients and muscle cells while the meat/muscle tissue is growing.
Edible cellulose scaffolds were produced during the project using 3D printing and colonised with muscle cells in order to test them for cultured meat and fish. Enriched with plant proteins, they imitate the nutritional profile of meat. Initial successes in cell growth and material modifications have been achieved. The project ended successfully and will be continued with follow-up financing.
Translated with DeepL
As part of the project, scaffolds were produced using a platform technology based on indirect 3D printing. The scaffolds were then colonised with muscle cells to test their suitability for use in cellular agriculture.
The focus was on edible scaffold materials, such as cellulose, for the cultivation of meat and fish. To ensure food suitability, the focus was also placed on the nutrient profile and regulatory aspects of food production. Therefore, a process was developed to enrich the cellulose scaffolds with plant proteins. This better imitates the nutrient profile of conventional meat. Furthermore, the process was reviewed by an EFSA expert and possible sticking points for food certification were identified.
As part of this SATW project, we were also in close contact with potential customers and collaborators. The rapid feedback loops in the ecosystem enabled us to define the requirements for our scaffolds more precisely and to align follow-up projects with the most urgent development steps. For cell experiments with C2C12 (mouse muscle cells), various scaffolds with different lattice structures were produced. Before seeding, the scaffolds were sterilised to avoid contamination in the cell culture. When the scaffolds were seeded on one side with several million cells, the cells showed good growth on both types of scaffold. A cross-section of more than 6 mm could be homogeneously seeded. The different lattice structures of the scaffolds had no influence on cell growth.
The planned differentiation of the cells posed a challenge because the cells adhered in small agglomerates. For differentiation, however, the cells must grow as confluent as possible in order to ultimately be able to fuse into fully developed muscle cells with several cell nuclei. Material modifications were pursued as a solution to improve cell adhesion. This has already led to initial improvements. Further investigations will be carried out in follow-up projects.
The SATW project also achieved financial success, including follow-up financing as part of an Innosuisse project and an Innobooster from the Gebert Rüf Foundation. In addition, preparations are underway for a first round of financing.
In summary, the SATW Project 4.0 was successfully completed and most of the milestones set were achieved. The project will now be continued as part of other initiative funding measures to further develop the technology and prepare it for initial scaling.
In the Food 4.0 programme, the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, under the leadership of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences SATW, support innovative project ideas that are at the very beginning of development. In particular, the programme supports projects that demonstrate new perspectives for the successful development of the Swiss food system. The selected projects make an important contribution to solving the greatest challenges and address the topics of food waste, sustainability and health.
