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Decellularized extracellular matrix scaffolds from Pleurotus ferulae mushrooms for sustainable production of steak-like cultured meat with authentic texture

Summary

Scientists developed a new way to grow steak-like meat in the laboratory using mushroom scaffolds. They used edible oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ferulae) that were treated to remove all cells while keeping the fibrous structure intact. This mushroom scaffold provided the perfect environment for cow muscle cells to grow and organize into meat-like tissue. The resulting cultured meat had texture and appearance similar to real beef, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional livestock farming.

Background

Cultured meat represents a sustainable alternative to conventional livestock farming, but replicating the fibrous texture of real steak remains a significant challenge. Existing scaffolds often lack the biocompatibility, scalability, or structural properties needed for steak-like meat production. Mushroom-derived decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) scaffolds offer a promising solution due to their inherent fibrous architecture and low environmental impact.

Objective

This study aimed to develop cost-effective decellularized scaffolds from Pleurotus ferulae mushrooms and evaluate their ability to support bovine muscle satellite cell (bMuSC) adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation into organized muscle tissue that replicates native muscle structure and textural properties.

Results

P. ferulae dECM scaffolds demonstrated superior anisotropic microarchitecture compared to P. eryngii, with approximately 80% porosity and high swelling capacity. bMuSCs showed robust adhesion and proliferation on scaffolds with approximately 70% cell alignment along scaffold axes. Differentiated cultured meat constructs exhibited myotube formation with expression of myogenic markers (Desmin, MYF6) and muscle proteins (MYH7). TPA revealed cultured meat hardness, chewiness, and gumminess comparable to real beef, with thermal processing inducing meat-like browning.

Conclusion

Pleurotus ferulae-derived dECM scaffolds provide a scalable, sustainable, and consumer-acceptable platform for producing steak-like cultured meat with biomimetic textural and sensory properties comparable to conventional beef, validating non-animal fungal biomaterials as viable alternatives for cultured meat production.
  • Published in:Materials Today Bio,
  • Study Type:Experimental Research,
  • Source: PMID: 41050094
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