Edible bacterial cellulose with chitosan/plant protein-coated flocculant microcarriers for cultured fat production

Cultured meat presents a sustainable solution to global food demands, yet its large-scale production is limited by current microcarrier technologies. To address challenges in mechanical stability and edibility, we developed a novel, entirely edible flocculant microcarrier. This microcarrier consisting of bacterial cellulose, mushroom-derived chitosan, and quinoa protein, achieves crosslinking through simple high-temperature steam sterilization without chemical additives. In this structure, bacterial cellulose provides mechanical strength, while chitosan and quinoa protein offer abundant cell-adhesion sites, with the protein component further enhancing the material's friability for easier fragmentation. The microcarrier demonstrated excellent water stability and biocompatibility, achieving initial cell adhesion rate exceeding 95 %. In 7-day dynamic suspension culture optimized for rotational speed and carrier concentration, chicken embryonic fibroblasts achieved a 60-fold expansion. Furthermore, the migration and colonization of C2C12 myoblasts between adjacent microcarriers was observed, which is a crucial step for tissue development, and this process benefited from the positive charges of chitosan and quinoa protein that facilitated inter-microcarrier cell adhesion and bridging. By combining this system with enzymatic crosslinking, cohesive cultured meat product was successfully produced. This innovative microcarrier system simplifies processing and reduces costs by overcoming traditional scaffold limitations, offering a robust and scalable platform for industrial cultured meat production.