Legos Lead to Better Lab-Grown Meat

Apr-01-19 Growing starch on Lego structures could help lead to more realistic lab-grown steaks.

Currently, meat grown in the lab is limited to forms like ground beef, which does not require structural support for the cells. However, to replicate something like a steak, the muscle cells need an appropriate scaffold.

To help bring lab-grown steaks to the consumer, research teams from Penn State and the University of Alabama used a wet electrospinning method to spin corn starch into natural fiber mats able to support muscle cell growth. Because the technique relies on an electrical field to help pull the starch into long threads, the teams chose plastic Lego pieces which are inexpensive and don’t conduct electricity. The team now plans to test and improve the technique to see if they can use 3D printing to shape the starch fibers into specific patterns.

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[FOODANDWINE.COM]
[NEWS.PSU.EDU]

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