Edible microcapsules containing canola oil for cultivated meat production

Abstract

Creating juiciness, tenderness, and taste for alternative proteins is a challenge that remains to be solved. Vegetable oil on plant-based meat is prone to leaching and oxidation. Animal fat in cultured meat faces hurdles in co-culture with muscle cells. Vegetable fat analogous to animal fat, derived from canola oil, can be integrated into meat analogs through encapsulation techniques using sodium alginate, a non-toxic, edible, biocompatible, and biodegradable material. The present work proposed the development of edible and tunable alginate microspheres containing canola oil, as a solution for a stable and simple fat substitute for plant-based and cell-based meat. Alginate concentrations between 0.5 % and 3 % w/v were combined in three oil concentrations (20 %, 40 %, and 60 % v/v) to form emulsions, subsequently cross-linked with CaCl₂ and characterized for their stability and oil encapsulation efficiency. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) further validated the chemical structure of the materials. Microsphere stability in aqueous media was also evaluated. Using chicken primary muscle cells, we demonstrated that canola oil microspheres were not cytotoxic and did not interfere with cell proliferation. Data presented here indicate that canola oil microparticles produced in this work have great potential to add fat properties to plant-based and cultivated meat products.