Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The increasing global population and demand for meat have led to the need to find sustainable and viable alternatives to traditional production methods. One potential solution is cultivated meat (CM), which involves producing meat in vitro from animal stem cells to generate products with nutritional and sensory properties similar to conventional livestock-derived meat. This article examines current approaches to CM production and investigates how using insect cells could enhance the process. Cell sources are a critical issue in CM production, alongside advances in culture media, bioreactors for scalability, and scaffold development. Insect cells, compared to commonly used mammalian cells, may offer advantages in overcoming technological challenges that hinder cell culture development and expansion. The objective of this review is to emphasize how insects, as a cell source for CM production, could offer a more sustainable option. A crucial aspect for achieving this goal is a comprehensive understanding of the physiology of muscle and fat cells. In this work, the characteristics of insect and mammalian cells are compared, focusing particularly on muscle and fat cell development, regulatory pathways, hormonal regulation, and tissue composition. Insect cells are a promising source for CM, offering a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative.
Source: Small Science
Authors: Fabiana Giglio, Carmen Scieuzo, Sofia Ouazri, Valentina Pucciarelli, Dolores Ianniciello, Sophia Letcher, Rosanna Salvia, Ambrogio Laginestra, David L. Kaplan, Patrizia Falabella
Institutions: University of Basilicata, Tufts University
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,770
OpenAlex ID: W4400413048