Cultured meat technology is a form of cellular agriculture where meat is produced from animal cells grown in a lab, instead of raising and slaughtering animals. This technology relies heavily on fetal bovine serum (FBS) in cell media; hence, production is costly and contributes significantly to ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions. Achieving the successful commercialization of cell-cultured food requires the critical resolution of manufacturing cost and safety concerns. Hence, our research efforts are focused on identifying commercially viable and ecologically sustainable alternatives to FBS. In this study, we evaluated the potential of twenty-six water-based algal and cyanobacterial extracts to stimulate cell growth for meat cultivation under 90% reduced serum conditions. The extracts were compared in viability, proliferation, and Trypan blue exclusion assays. In the first screening phase, the extracts were evaluated in a ZEM2S (zebrafish) cell culture in a 1% FBS regimen. Based on their ability to exhibit protein tolerance or promote cell proliferation, ten extracts were selected and further assayed in a QM7 cell culture. The QM7 cell line (myoblasts from Japanese quail) is highly relevant for meat cultivation because of its ability to differentiate into muscle fibers. Extracts derived from two microalgae species, Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina) and Dunaliella tertiolecta, demonstrated the highest tolerance in cell culture, above 10 μg/mL (expressed as total protein concentration). Tolerance at a 100 μg/mL concentration was demonstrated exclusively using an extract of blue spirulina (commercially purified Spirulina), which supported cell growth through multiple passages.

Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is commonly added to cell culture media, but for cultivated meat production to become truly sustainable, ethical and affordable, an alternative to it is necessary. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate how myoblasts could be cultivated in reduced-serum media using animal-free scaffolds. Novel chitosan/carrageenan hydrogels were developed and conjugated with peptides obtained by digestion of C-phycocyanin from cyanobacteria Arthrospira platensis, their physico-chemical properties were assessed, and their ability to serve as scaffolds for myoblast cultivation in reduced-serum media was examined. These hydrogels were found to possess suitable physical characteristics to serve as scaffolds for cell culture, and it was demonstrated that their use made quail muscle clone 7 (QM7) cell cultivation possible in reduced-FBS media. These hydrogels, therefore, are a promising candidate for use as scaffolds in future cultivated meat production studies.