Project description:Genetic engineering of filamentous fungi has promise for accelerating the transition to a more sustainable food system and enhancing the nutritional value, sensory appeal, and scalability of microbial foods. However, genetic tools and demonstrated use cases for bioengineered food production by edible strains are lacking. Here, we developed a synthetic biology toolkit for Aspergillus oryzae, an edible fungus traditionally used in fermented foods and currently used in protein production and meat alternatives. Our toolkit includes a CRISPR-Cas9 method for genome integration, neutral loci, and new promoters. We use these tools to enhance the elevate levels of the nutraceutical ergothioneine and intracellular heme in the edible biomass. The biomass overproducing heme is red in color and is readily formulated into imitation meat patties with minimal processing. These findings highlight the promise of genetic approaches to enhance fungal meat alternatives and provide useful engineering tools for diverse applications in fungal food production and beyond.
2024-03-22 | PXD043152 | Pride
Project description:Analysis of microbial community composition in plant-based meat analogues
Project description:The use of an animal component-free scaffold to culture muscle cells on is a potential approach for producing (hybrid) cultured meat. However, to develop a plant-based scaffold with optimal mechanical characteristics for muscle cell growth, differentiation and maturation, it is essential to characterize the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) found in conventional meat. Therefore, this research initially involved isolating the ECM by removing muscle cells through 0.5 % SDS decellularization. Subsequently, various structural parameters of both fresh meat (representing the upper limit) and decellularized meat (representing the lower limit) were measured. Effective removal of cells and adequate preservation of the ECM's main structure and components were confirmed through Picogreen assay, proteomic analysis, and determination of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content. Samples underwent amplitude sweeps, texture analyses and internal structure visualization. The conditions resembling the natural ECM of muscle cells lie between the determined upper and lower limits for each parameter.
Project description:Large-scale production of cultured meat requires muscle cell culture in bioreactors, where microcarriers (MCs) support cell attachment, growth, and differentiation. However, most MCs are composed of inedible materials, requiring a cell detachment step, and/or contain animal-derived components, which are undesirable for cultured meat production. Therefore, we developed animal-free edible microcarriers based on soy protein isolate (SPI) that support muscle cell growth. SPI MCs supported cell attachment and growth similar to commercial collagen-coated dextran MCs, as bovine myoblasts expanded 24-fold over 8 days in a bioreactor. Moreover, myoblasts could differentiate into myotubes on the SPI-MCs. Importantly, SPI supported cell attachment in serum-free medium, as opposed to methacrylated gelatin (GelMA). Proteomics analysis revealed that, during SPI processing, cell adhesion peptides become available on the biomaterial, which also partially leach into the cell culture medium and replace serum components. To conclude, our study demonstrates the feasibility of growing and differentiating bovine muscle cells on edible, fully plant-based MCs, providing a scalable system for the production of cultured meat.
2025-07-18 | PXD066270 | Pride
Project description:RNA-Seq of liver issues derived from mice fed high-fat diet containing plant-based meat analog or animal meat
Project description:The development of cost-effective serum-free media is essential for the development of cell-cultured meat technologies. While some effective media have been developed for relevant cells (e.g., bovine muscle stem cells), these rely on costly recombinant albumin which is too expensive for a scalable system. In this study, we explored bulk protein isolates from rapeseed, cottonseed, and soybean as alternatives to recombinant albumin, and show that rapeseed protein isolate (RPI) is effective in replacing albumin for the serum-free culture of bovine muscle stem cells. We additionally performed proteomic characterization of the three oilseed protein isolates used in the study to compare how proteomic differences might be associated with functional differences between these proteins.
Project description:Listeria monocytogenes in rabbit meat processing plant
| PRJNA396103 | ENA
Project description:Impact of occasional replacement of animal meat with plant-based meat alternative products on the gut microbiota of consumers: a randomized controlled trial