Scientists in Israel have developed a “natural scaffold” for cultivated meat by repurposing aloe vera, and formulated fat-like tissue or “lipid chunks” to enhance its texture and flavor profile. They have also developed a novel bioprocessing approach to scale its production when combined with a single-use bioreactor.

The FDA has approved aloe vera as a “food additive,” which supports its potential for industrial application in cultivated meat, note the researchers. Its use as a renewable, edible scaffold aligns with the growing demand for sustainable food solutions, with 500,000 metric tons produced annually.

The research was led by Dr. Gilad Gome under the auspices of Dr. Sharon Schlesinger and prof. Oded Shoseyov from the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

“The inspiration for using aloe vera as a scaffold stemmed from the need for a plant-based, cellulose-rich, food-grade material that could withstand the bioprocess while remaining cost-effective and minimally processed,” Dr. Schlesinger tells Food Ingredients First.

“Dr. Gilad Gome, then a PhD student in Prof. Oded Shoseyov’s lab had tested various polymer and plant-based scaffolds without finding an ideal solution. The breakthrough moment came when he was drinking a beverage containing aloe vera chunks, realizing its structure, durability, and food compatibility could make it a promising scaffold.”

The researchers incorporated oleic acid to “enhance fat deposition in the cells that are on the scaffold, ensuring better integration within the cultivated meat structure,” she continues.

“While its impact on flavor and texture was not tested, its role in fat aggregation and stability supports the formation of structured lipid deposits, which are essential for developing realistic meat-like fat content.”

Overcoming cultivated meat challenges

The findings, published in npj Science of Food, highlight aloe vera scaffold’s versatility as a cost-effective material at a time when the cultured meat industry is facing significant scalability, cost efficiency, and structural integrity challenges, notes the study.

Dr. Schlesinger observes that the market is “struggling” to meet demand using stirred-tank bioreactors, leading to growing interest in perfusion bioreactors as a solution.

“Companies like Aleph Farms, Ever After Foods, and Mosa Meat are already using scaffold-based approaches to improve cell growth and maturation. Our aloe vera scaffold, designed for use in perfusion bioreactors, aligns with this trend by offering a food-grade, scalable, and cost-effective alternative, potentially making it attractive for industry adoption.”

While working with aloe vera, the team faced challenges in maintaining sterility, optimizing seeding methods, and ensuring compatibility with the bioreactor.

“We addressed sterility by using aseptic techniques in scaffold preparation. For seeding, we compared dropwise vs. static seeding methods, finding that static seeding has the potential to be as effective as dropwise seeding while eliminating the need for trypsinization, thus reducing a production step.”

While dropwise seeding is more commonly used, she explains that static seeding “simplifies the process” and may offer a more scalable and efficient approach for integrating cells into the scaffold. The team optimized the macrofluidic single-use bioreactor (MSUB) used for growing the cells, to enhance nutrient flow and overall cell viability while preventing contamination.

Advancing commercial viability

Aloe vera is a “biocompatible scaffold” that promotes cell adhesion, proliferation, and extracellular matrix formation for cultured meat growth, states the study.

The team’s bioprocessing approach integrated aloe vera scaffolds into a MSUB to enable large-scale production, making cultured meat more commercially viable while reducing reliance on animal-based materials. 

Dr. Schlesinger notes that the team is also working on optimized cultivation protocols for perfusion bioreactors to scale production.

“Since our scaffold is designed for dynamic culture systems, fine-tuning the nutrient flow, oxygenation, and lipid integration within the bioreactor is crucial for scaling up production. These refinements will help bridge the gap between lab-scale research and industrial application, making the technology more viable for commercialization.”

The road ahead

The scientists are now focusing on methods to improve the scaffold and bioprocess.

“One major step is co-culturing different cell types on the scaffold, allowing muscle, fat, and supportive cells to grow together in a way that better mimics natural tissue. This will help improve the structural and functional properties of the final product,” Dr. Schlesinger tells us.

“Another exciting direction is the use of cellulose-binding growth factors. By attaching growth factors directly to the scaffold, we aim to promote cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation more efficiently.”

“This could significantly reduce the reliance on expensive growth media while improving overall cell viability,” she concludes.