Global pressure from consumers to improve animal welfare, and reduce microbiological risks or the use of antibiotics pose new challenges for the meat industry. Today’s livestock production, despite many undertaken measures, is still far from being sustainable. This forced the need to work on alternative protein types that come from plants, insects, fungi, or cell culture processes. Due to some technical and legal barriers, cultivated meat is not present on the European market, however, in 2020 it was approved in Singapore and in 2022 in the USA. While the technology of obtaining cell cultures from animal muscles has been known and successfully practiced for years, the production of a stable piece of meat with appropriate texture, taste, and smell, is still a problem for several scientific groups related to subsequent companies trying to obtain the highest quality product, in line with the expectations of customers. Although the work on optimal cell meat production has been going on for years, it is still in an early stage, mainly due to several limitations that represent milestones for industrial production. The most important are: the culture media (without animal serum), which will provide an environment for optimal muscle development, natural or close to natural (but still safe for the consumer) stable scaffolds for growing cells. Here, we review the actual knowledge about the above-mentioned challenges which make the production of cellular meat not yet developed on an industrial scale.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary level of a phytobiotic composition (PBC) on production parameters, oxidative stress markers and cytokine levels in the blood and breast muscle of broiler chickens. The experiment was performed on 48 one-day-old female Ross 308 broiler chickens divided into three groups (n = 16) fed the control diet (without PBC), and a diet supplemented with 60 or 100 mg/kg of PBC. After 35 days of feeding, blood and breast muscle samples were collected for analyses. There was no effect on final body weight and feed intake but PBC addition (100 mg/kg) improved feed efficiency as compared to the control. Also, this dietary level of PBC contributed to an increase in interlukin-6 content in blood and a reduction in tumor necrosis factor-α concentrations in pectoral muscle in comparison with the control group. In conclusion, the addition of 100 mg/kg PBC improved the production parameters of broiler chickens and beneficially influenced the regeneration and protection of pectoral muscle against pathophysiological processes that may occur during intensive rearing.

Background: The identification of natural antibacterial agents from various sources that can act effectively against disease-causing foodborne bacteria is one of the major concerns throughout the world. In the present study, a unique phytobiotics mixture containing thymol, menthol, linalool, trans-anethole, methyl salicylate, 1,8-cineole, and p-cymene was evaluated for antibacterial activity against selected strains of Salmonella spp. Results: The phytobiotics mixture was effective against Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovars Enteritidis, Typhimurium, and Kentucky. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of this unique mixture for these three pathogens were 1:256. Among these three strains, one S. Kentucky presented the most extensive resistance profiles to 18 antibiotics belonging to 5 classes of antibiotics. One of S. Typhimurium presents extensive resistance profiles to 14 antibiotics belonging to 5 classes of antibiotics. Conclusions: The results suggest that the phytobiotics mixture used in the experiment can be used as a strong natural antibacterial agent against Gram-negative foodborne pathogens such as S. Typhimurium, S. Kentucky, and S. Enteritidis. This is a preliminary analysis of the effectiveness of a phytobiotic product in an in vitro model, which may be the starting point for further studies, including in vivo animal models.

The purpose of the study was to assess the effects of different doses of a phytobiotic mixture on selected production parameters and meat quality and to assess the residue of the preparation in tissues and the possible toxic effects in broiler chickens. Broiler chicks aged 160 days, divided into four equal groups, were supplemented with the phytobiotic mixture at different doses, D1—0.5 mL/L, D2—1 mL/L, and D3—2 mL/L, four times during a 42-day trial. There were no statistically significant differences in weight gain per week of life and mortality in the birds. The study also demonstrated that the use of the mixture of phytobiotics had no significant effect on colour, pH, WHC, and natural leakage. However, a beneficial effect of the additive was found in the group treated with a dose of 1 mL/L, where less thermal leakage from the meat was demonstrated. Furthermore, significant differences in the change in thigh muscle tenderness were also observed. In the histopathological analysis of the liver no significant differences were observed. In addition, no residues of the mixture or its metabolites were found in the tissues analysed. In conclusion, the proposed scheme of administration of the phytobiotic additive, regardless of the dose, does not cause pathological changes in organs and does not carry the risk of residues of the product in tissues intended for human consumption.

Escherichia coli infections (including APEC) in broiler chickens are not only a health and economic problem of the flock, but also a significant health threat to poultry meat consumers. The prophylactic and therapeutic effects of the phytobiotic composition on E. coli in broiler chickens were previously described. However, most of the data were related to the reference strains (for both in vitro and in vivo models). Based on the previous studies in human and animals, E. coli strains seem to be multidrug resistance. This, in turn, makes it necessary to develop effective alternative methods of treating this type of infection already at the stage of poultry production. In the present study, the antibacterial activity against various strains of E. coli (including APEC) was assessed for two innovative phytobiotics mixtures: H1, containing thymol, menthol, linalool, trans-anethole, methyl salicylate, 1,8-cineol, and p-cymene; H2, in addition to compounds from H1, containing terpinen-4-ol and γ-terpinene. The unique mixtures of phytobiotics used in the experiment were effective against various strains of E. coli, also against APEC, isolated from broiler chickens from traditional industrial breeding, as well as against those showing colistin resistance. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for these unique mixtures were: For H1 1:512 for APEC and non-APEC E. coli strains isolated from day old chicks (DOCs), 1:512 for non-APEC, and 1:1024 for non-APEC isolated from broilers sample. For mixture H2, MIC for APEC from both type of samples (DOCs and broilers) was 1:1024 and for non-APEC (DOCs and broilers) was 1:512. The results suggest that phytobiotic compositions used in this study can be successfully used as a natural alternative to antibiotics in the treatment of E. coli infections in broiler chickens. The promising results may be a crucial point for further analyses in broiler flocks exposed to E. coli infections and where it is necessary to reduce the level of antibiotics or completely eliminate them, thus reducing the risk of foodborne infections.

Gamma-oryzanol (GO) is a popular supplement for performance horses, dogs, and humans. Previous studies indicated that GO supplementation decreases creatine kinase activity and lactate level after exercise and may affect oxidative stress in Thoroughbred horses. GO may change genes expression in equine satellite cells (ESC). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of GO on miRNA, gene expression, oxidative stress, and cell damage and viability in differentiating ESC pretreated with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). ESCs were obtained from a young horse’s skeletal muscle. ESCs were pre-incubated with GO (24 h) and then exposed to H₂O₂ for one hour. For the microRNA and gene expression assessment, the microarray technique was used. Identified miRNAs and genes were validated using real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Several tests related to cell viability, cell damage, and oxidative stress were performed. The microarray analysis revealed differences in 17 miRNAs and 202 genes between GO-treated and control ESC. The tests related to apoptosis, cell viability, and oxidative stress showed that GO affects these processes to varying degrees. Our results suggest that GO can change miRNA and gene expression and may impact the processes involved in tissue repairing after an injury.