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Cell-cultured meat offers the potential for a more sustainable, ethical, resilient, and healthy food system. However, research and development has been hindered by the lack of serum-free media that enable the robust expansion of relevant cells (e.g., muscle satellite cells) over multiple passages. Recently, a low-cost serum-free media (B8) was described for pluripotent stem cells. Here, B8 is adapted for bovine satellite cells through the addition of a single component, recombinant albumin, which renders it suitable for long-term satellite cell expansion without sacrificing myogenicity. This new media (Beefy-9) maintains cell growth over the entire period tested (seven passages), with an average doubling time of 39 h. Along with demonstrated efficacy for bovine cells, Beefy-9 offers a promising starting-point for developing serum-free media for other meat-relevant species. Ultimately, this work offers a foundation for escaping cultured meat research's reliance on serum, thereby accelerating the field. A substitution of FBS in culturing of bovine satellite cells for the purpose of culturing meat is presented, addressing both basal media and growth factors in relation to proliferating and differentiating cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scaffolds suitable for use in food products are crucial components for the production of cultured meat. Here, wheat glutenin, an inexpensive and abundant plant-based protein, was used to develop 3D porous scaffolds for cultured meat applications. A physical cross-linking method based on water annealing was developed for the fabrication of porous glutenin sponges and fibrous aligned scaffolds. The pore sizes ranged from 50 to 250 μm, with compressive modulus ranges from 0.5 to 1.9 kPa, depending on the percentage of glutenin (2%–5%) used in the process. The sponges were stable in PBS with refrigeration for at least six months after water annealing. The glutenin scaffolds supported the proliferation and differentiation of C2C12 mouse skeletal myoblasts and bovine satellite cells (BSCs) without the need to add specific cell adhesive proteins or other coatings. The low cost and food safe production process avoided the use of toxic cross-linkers and animal-derived extracellular matrix (ECM) coatings, suggesting that this as approach is a promising system for scaffolds useful in cultivated meat applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]