Engineering biomimetic scaffolds for cultivated meats

The emergence of cultivated meat has attracted much attention as a revolutionary product for meat. Biomaterial scaffolds are the key component and have been extensively studied in cultivated meat production, enabling cell adhesion, proliferation, and directed differentiation. However, the structural and mechanical biomimicry of edible scaffolds is hard to be achieved, hindering the large-scale production of cultivated meats. In this paper, we comprehensively summarize the construction of cultivated meat from cell-laden biomimetic scaffolds and its future research directions. We describe the cellular components of cultivated meat composition and their culture medium components. To tailor more edible scaffolds for high-efficient production of cultivated meats, advanced techniques including 3D bioprinting, electrostatic spinning, and tissue molding techniques have been developed. We then discuss recent research advances in scaffolding materials that maintain the three-dimensional (3D) morphology of cultivated meats and bioreactors. Next, we discussed the conditions and problems that should be solved for the industrial production of cultivated meat. Finally, we outline current challenges in the development of cultivated meat and a prospective outlook for the future of cultivated meat. We anticipate that the continued development of cultivated meat will lead to significant advances in the food and medical fields.