Flavor-switchable scaffold for cultured meat with enhanced aromatic properties

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.

Fig. 1. Schematic illustration of switchable flavor system.

a Illustrative description of scaffold structure conjugated with switchable flavor compound (SFC). b Photograph of cultured meat fabricated using the scaffold with SFC (CM + SFC). Scale bar: 8 mm. c Illustration explaining the mechanism of the SFC system depending on temperature. d Classification of the flavor compounds analyzed in this study.

Fig. 2. Synthesis of SFC and thermal responsivity evaluation.

a Chemical structure of the switchable flavor compound (SFC) involving two binding groups (R₁, R₂) with methacrylate end and one flavor group (R₃) with a thermal responsive disulfide bridge. b Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectra of SFC to monitor the mobility of furfuryl mercaptan upon heating of SFC. The peak at 335 nm indicates the mobility of the furan group of furfuryl mercaptan thermal-responsively generated from SFC. The intervals for heating are 0 min, 10 min, 1, 4, 7, 12, and 24 h. c Photographs of the hydrogel without SFC (Gel-SFC), hydrogel with SFC (Gel+SFC), and hydrogel mixed with pure furfuryl mercaptan (Gel+FM) with illustrations of their network structure. Gel+SFC features the robust covalent bonds between the gelatin matrix and SFC. Meanwhile, Gel+FM exhibits a weak interaction between the gelatin matrix and furfuryl mercaptan. Scale bars: 0.4 cm (d) Flavor analysis of hydrogels before and after heating at Maillard temperature, 150 °C. All samples are pre-incubated in the distilled water for 15 days. The pie chart presents the ratio of the flavor compounds classified according to the specific flavor notes. Non-flavor compounds are excluded in the pie chart and each flavor note is represented by a different color (n = 3). Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

Fig. 3. Biological evaluation and flavor analysis of cell-cultured scaffold.

a Illustration of the flavor enriching process of the switchable flavor compound (SFC) under the cultured meat fabrication process. b Immunofluorescence images of proliferated myoblasts on each group. Scale bars: 100 μm. c Cell viability on day 1, day 5, and day 7 using CCK-8 assay kit (mean ± SD, n = 3 independent experiments, One-way ANOVA with Tukey method). Gray color indicates cultured meat without SFC (CM-SFC) and red color indicates cultured meat with SFC (CM + SFC). d Confocal images showing myosin heavy chain (MHC) and nuclei immunostained with MF20 (red) and DAPI (blue), respectively. Scale bars: 100 μm. e Quantitative assessment of MHC amount by bovine myosin-1 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (mean ± SD, n = 3 independent experiments, One-way ANOVA with Tukey method). The MHC amount of the CM + SFC is normalized to that of the CM-SFC. f Assessment of volatile compounds in CM-SFC and CM + SFC after heating at 150 °C (n = 3). Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

Fig. 4. Electronic nose analysis of cultured meat specimens.

a Illustration of cultured meat specimens with different scaffolds: cultured meat without SFC (CM-SFC), cultured meat with SFC (CM + SFC), and cultured meat with flavor variated SFC (CM + SFCV). b Ratio of the flavor compounds detected from CM-SFC, CM + SFC, and CM + SFCV (mean ± SD, n = 3 independent experiments, One-way ANOVA with Tukey method). The pie chart is shown to present the specific flavor profiles of each group. Flavor notes are presented with different colors. c Principal component analysis (PCA) of the flavor compounds of each group (discrimination index = 90, n = 3). Source data are provided as a Source Data file.