Key challenges in cultivated meat production include finding functional, edible, and scalable biomaterials that support muscle cell growth and differentiation while also contributing to the structure, taste, and texture of the final product. To address this, we evaluated a panel of plant-derived proteins as potential scaffold and microcarrier materials, examining how their physicochemical properties influence muscle cell behaviour.
Proteins were screened for solubility, surface charge, and secondary structure to predict their interactions with cells. Bovine satellite cells were cultured on protein coatings derived from oilseeds and pseudo cereals. We assessed the effects of each protein on cell adhesion, viability, proliferation, and myogenic differentiation. The results revealed distinct differences in how plant proteins supported muscle cell growth and fusion, with several materials promoting myotube formation and gene expression profiles consistent with enhanced myogenesis.
Our findings suggest that cell-interactive features of plant proteins—such as hydrophobicity, surface charge, and the presence of adhesion motifs—play a key role in driving muscle cell differentiation. These insights provide a framework for selecting and engineering plant-based scaffolds and microcarriers that are both biologically functional and food-compatible.
This work advances the scientific foundation for using plant proteins in muscle tissue engineering and contributes to the broader goal of making cultivated meat more viable and sustainable. Ongoing efforts will focus on scaling promising candidates and optimising them for cost-effective, large-scale production.