Fat forward: Cultivating bovine adipocytes on bioscaffolds

Abstract

The advancement of cellular agriculture hinges on replicating the mouthfeel, taste, and texture of conventional meat, which are largely determined by fat tissue composed of adipocytes. However, growing cells at scale remains a significant challenge for the field. This study explores the use of edible bioscaffolds to support the large-scale production of bovine adipocytes. Scaffold-based approaches are commonly used to facilitate the proliferation of adherent cells within bioreactors, yet identifying suitable, edible scaffolds for cultured meat remains an ongoing challenge. Here, we present an efficient approach for screening biological scaffolds and evaluating their suitability for cultured meat production. We assess whole oats and unhulled buckwheat as potential substrates for bovine preadipocyte attachment, proliferation, and differentiation. Our results demonstrate that both grains support cell adhesion and growth; however, with their favourable surface properties, whole oats emerged as a promising natural bioscaffold for cultured food applications, offering both scalability and nutritional benefits.

Keywords: Bioscaffold; Bovine adipocytes; Buckwheat; Cultured meat; Oats.

Graphical abstract

Fig. 1

Control SEM images of oat (A–B) and buckwheat (C–D) grains revealed that the outer layers comprise structural features that may promote bovine preadipocyte cell binding. The hull of whole oats has a rough, fibrous texture characterized by ridges and grooves. In contrast, the bran layer beneath it is smoother, with a tightly compacted, fine-grained surface. Unhulled buckwheat grains feature a rugged, granular texture marked by distinct ridges and grooves. The top of the hull displays a naturally grooved and irregular surface, showcasing a pattern of fine ridges, pits, and fibrous structures that enhance its rugged appearance.

Fig. 2

Seeded whole oat grain SEM images (A–D) revealed that differentiated bovine adipocytes actively grow on both the hull and bran layers. The circular ridges (indicated by dotted line) on the bran layer help create a textured surface that allows the cells to attach and expand as a monolayer (indicated by arrows). The monolayer formed by these cells can be seen clearly in A, C, and D.

Fig. 3

Seeded unhulled buckwheat grain SEM images (A–D) revealed that the differentiated bovine adipocytes actively grow on the outer hull layer. The cells are observed expanding on the upper half of the hull, with a bridge-like structure (indicated by arrows) forming between the cells (A–B). Additionally, the cells expand and form monolayers across the rest of the hull (C–D). A noticeable difference in the textures on the surface can also be seen.

Fig. 4

Cell viability and protein quantification assays evaluated the ability of oat and buckwheat grains to support cell attachment and growth. Quantification of viable cells bound to grains showed that whole oats are more efficient bioscaffolds than buckwheat for bovine preadipocytes. Results from whole cell protein quantification performed corroborated these results. Both grains were seeded with bovine preadipocytes (or no cell controls for background quantification). They were maintained under differentiation conditions for 3 days and assessed for bound cellular material by (A) CTB cell viability assay or total cellular protein concentration (B). Statistical significance values shown were determined by unpaired t-test.