Tea polyphenols coated sodium alginate-gelatin 3D edible scaffold for cultured meat

This study aimed to use edible scaffolds as a platform for animal stem cell expansion, thus constructing block-shaped cell culture meat. The tea polyphenols (TP)-coated 3D scaffolds were constructed of sodium alginate (SA) and gelatin (Gel) with good biocompatibility and mechanical support. Initially, the physicochemical properties and mechanical properties of SA-Gel-TP scaffolds were measured, and the biocompatibility of the scaffolds was evaluated by C2C12 cells. SEM results showed that the scaffold had a porous laminar structure with TP particles attached to the surface, while FT-IR results also demonstrated the encapsulation of TP coating on the scaffold. In addition, the porosity of all scaffolds was higher than 40% and the degradation rate during the incubation cycle was less than 40% and the S2-G1-TP0.1-3 h scaffold has excellent cell adhesion and extension. Subsequently, we inoculated rabbit skeletal muscle myoblasts (RbSkMC) on the scaffold and induced differentiation. The results showed good adhesion and extension behavior of RbSkMC on S2-G1-TP0.1-3 h scaffolds with high expression of myogenic differentiation proteins and genes, and SEM results confirmed the formation of myotubes. Additionally, the adhesion rate of cells on scaffolds with TP coating was 1.5 times higher than that on scaffolds without coating, which significantly improved the cell proliferation rate and the morphology of cells with extension on the scaffolds. Furthermore, rabbit-derived cultured meat had similar appearance and textural characteristics to fresh meat. These conclusions indicate the high potential of the scaffolds with TP coating as a platform for the production of cultured meat products.