Hao Lam Tan, Lee Seunghyeon, Hwang Dong Soo, Jeon Hyeonyeol, Park Jeyoung, Kim Hyo Jeong, Oh Dongyeop X
Research Center for Bio-based Chemistry, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), Ulsan 44429, Republic of Korea.
Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2025 Jun 4;17(22):31881-31897. doi: 10.1021/acsami.5c03479. Epub 2025 May 3.
Cultured meat offers a sustainable alternative to animal farming, with the potential to reduce environmental impacts and improve food security. However, recapitulating natural meat marbling remains a significant challenge. This study presents a straightforward technology for achieving precise marbling patterns in large-scale cultured meat using self-healing hydrogels containing boronic acid-conjugated chitosan. Unlike conventional hydrogels, which require nonphysiological conditions for strong, reversible bonding, our system achieves robust reversible bonding at neutral pH through a unique mechanism: the nucleophilic groups of chitosan facilitate boronic acid-diol bond formation, exhibiting half the strength of a typical covalent bond, as demonstrated by nanomechanics analysis. The hydrogels form dual reversible networks of boronic acid-diol and hydrogen bonds, enabling self-healing and tunable stiffness. Biocompatibility studies confirm that they support the growth of mouse-derived cells and bovine-derived primary muscle cells. Each hydrogel variant optimizes mechanotransduction for the distinct requirements of fat or muscle cell culture and differentiation. This self-healing scaffolding technology enables the seamless assembly of muscle and fat monocultures into centimeter-thick meat with micrometer-scale marbling patterns, tailoring organoleptic properties and nutritional profiles without the need for meat glues or processing equipment.
cultured meat offers a sustainable alternative to animal farming, with the potential to reduce environmental impacts and improve food security. However, recapitulating natural meat marbling remains a significant challenge. This study presents a straightforward technology for achieving precise marbling patterns in large-scale cultured meat using self-healing hydrogels containing boronic acid-conjugated chitosan. Unlike conventional hydrogels, which require nonphysiological conditions for strong, reversible bonding, our system achieves robust reversible bonding at neutral pH through a unique mechanism: the nucleophilic groups of chitosan facilitate boronic acid-diol bond formation, exhibiting half the strength of a typical covalent bond, as demonstrated by nanomechanics analysis. The hydrogels form dual reversible networks of boronic acid-diol and hydrogen bonds, enabling self-healing and tunable stiffness. Biocompatibility studies confirm that they support the growth of mouse-derived cells and bovine-derived primary muscle cells. Each hydrogel variant optimizes mechanotransduction for the distinct requirements of fat or muscle cell culture and differentiation. This self-healing scaffolding technology enables the seamless assembly of muscle and fat monocultures into centimeter-thick meat with micrometer-scale marbling patterns, tailoring organoleptic properties and nutritional profiles without the need for meat glues or processing equipment.
培养肉为动物养殖提供了一种可持续的替代方案，具有减少环境影响和改善粮食安全的潜力。然而，重现天然肉的大理石花纹仍然是一项重大挑战。本研究提出了一种简单的技术，用于在大规模培养肉中使用含有硼酸共轭壳聚糖的自愈合水凝胶实现精确的大理石花纹图案。与传统水凝胶不同，传统水凝胶需要非生理条件才能实现强的、可逆的键合，而我们的系统通过一种独特的机制在中性pH值下实现了强大的可逆键合：壳聚糖的亲核基团促进硼酸 - 二醇键的形成，其强度为典型共价键的一半，这已通过纳米力学分析得到证明。这些水凝胶形成了硼酸 - 二醇和氢键的双重可逆网络，实现了自我愈合和可调节的硬度。生物相容性研究证实，它们支持小鼠来源细胞和牛来源原代肌肉细胞的生长。每种水凝胶变体针对脂肪或肌肉细胞培养及分化的不同需求优化了机械转导。这种自我愈合支架技术能够将肌肉和脂肪单培养物无缝组装成具有微米级大理石花纹图案的厘米厚肉块，无需肉胶或加工设备即可定制感官特性和营养成分。
