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Preparation of CO2-Triggered Extrudable Chitosan for Fat Production
Andrea Fiorati1,2, Beatrice Sottini1, Matteo Pavarini1
1Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering "G. Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milano, Italy.
ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering
|July 16, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed a novel chitosan hydrogel for cultured fat ingredients. This CO2-triggered material supports cell viability and enables efficient lipid release, overcoming limitations of traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Cell Culture Technology
Background:
- Cultured ingredients are gaining traction in the food industry, but replicating fat is difficult.
- Chitosan hydrogels show promise for cell culture due to high viability but face processing challenges with acetic acid.
- Acetic acid residuals in conventional chitosan processing can negatively impact cell availability and food taste.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel chitosan processing methodology for cultured food ingredients.
- To enable CO2-triggered structural modulation of chitosan for improved food applications.
- To investigate methods for incorporating cells into chitosan matrices for fat ingredient production.
Main Methods:
- Developed a CO2-triggered processing method for chitosan hydrogels.
- Introduced cells via standard mixing and a new method embedding predifferentiated adipocyte pellets.
- Assessed gel stability, cell viability, lipid release, and rheological properties (shear-thinning).
Main Results:
- The developed chitosan gel demonstrated stability and supported optimal cell viability when cells were embedded in differentiated pellets.
- The system effectively released lipids, confirming its suitability for edible fat-based ingredients.
- The hydrogel exhibited shear-thinning behavior, indicating potential for extrusion-based processing.
Conclusions:
- A novel CO2-triggered chitosan processing method facilitates cultured fat ingredient production.
- Embedding predifferentiated adipocyte pellets enhances cell viability within the hydrogel matrix.
- The shear-thinning properties of the hydrogel open possibilities for advanced food manufacturing techniques.
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