Embedded three-dimensional printing of thick pea-protein-enriched constructs for large, customized structured...

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Materials Science
• Food Science

Background:

• Previous 3D-printing of cultivated meat (CM) using plant-protein inks was limited to thin structures.
• Fabricating large, thick, and structured CM requires enhanced printing capabilities and methods to overcome diffusion limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To advance 3D-printing and thick tissue engineering for fabricating large-scale, structured, and customized cultivated meat constructs.
• To improve cell viability and activity in thick cellular constructs for extended cultivation periods.

Main Methods:

• Optimized agar-based support bath composition and printing parameters.
• Engineered advanced printing designs and execution for large-scale, marbled, and multi-cellular constructs.
• Incorporated void structures and dynamic culturing techniques for sustainable, thick cellular constructs.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated 0.5-cm-thick, marbled, rib-eye shaped constructs with stable fibrous architectures.
• Produced customized multi-cellular constructs with distinct cellular regions.
• Achieved sustained cell viability and activity for 3 weeks in 1-cm-thick constructs.

Conclusions:

• Demonstrated large-scale fabrication of geometrically complex cellular constructs suitable for long-term cultivation.
• The advanced 3D-printing and tissue engineering approach holds significant promise for structured cultivated meat development.
• Overcame diffusion limitations and enhanced viability in thick cultivated meat constructs.