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EP-4741488-A1 - PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF FOODSTUFFS FROM CULTURED CELLS

EP4741488A1EP 4741488 A1EP4741488 A1EP 4741488A1EP-4741488-A1

Abstract

The present invention is related to a process for cultivating cells or microorganisms, comprising the steps of providing a three-dimensional flexible membrane structure which is permeable to gases and impermeable to liquid and solid components, filling the membrane structure with a composition containing cells or microorganisms, and treating the filled membrane structure under cultivation conditions which allow the cells or microorganisms to grow, characterized in that the membrane structure has a longest dimension of 0.1 cm to 40 cm, preferably 1 to 20 cm. The present invention is furthermore related to a process for the preparation of a food product, comprising the steps of cultivating cells or microorganisms in a process described above, processing the product thus obtained into the food product, characterized in that the composition containing cells or microorganisms has food quality.

Inventors

  • Witschi, Friedrich
  • BUCHMANN, Leandro
  • Greive, Gero

Assignees

  • Bühler AG

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20241108

Claims (14)

  1. A process for cultivating cells or microorganisms, comprising the steps of a) providing a three-dimensional flexible membrane structure which is permeable to gases and impermeable to liquid and solid components, b) filling the membrane structure with a composition containing cells or microorganisms, c) treating the filled membrane structure under cultivation conditions which allow the cells or microorganisms to grow, characterized in that the membrane structure has a longest dimension of 0.1 cm to 40 cm, preferably 1 to 20 cm.
  2. The process according to claim 1, characterized in that the composition containing cells or microorganisms comprises a medium which enables the growth of the cells or microorganisms .
  3. The process according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that step b) is carried out under aseptic conditions.
  4. The process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in step b) the three-dimensional membrane structure is completely filled with the composition containing cells or microorganisms.
  5. The process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the three-dimensional membrane structure is closed or sealed after filling in step b).
  6. The process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that step c) is carried out in an incubation device.
  7. The process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a treatment with UV radiation is carried out during step c).
  8. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the composition containing cells or microorganisms has a structure selected from the group consisting of a gel structure and a scaffold structure.
  9. The process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the composition containing cells or microorganisms additionally contains fibrous material.
  10. The process according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the membrane structure is edible.
  11. The process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the membrane structure is not edible.
  12. A process for the preparation of a food product, comprising the steps of - cultivating cells or microorganisms in a process according to any one of claims 1 to 11, - processing the product thus obtained into the food product, characterized in that the composition containing cells or microorganisms has food quality.
  13. The process according to claim 12, characterized in that the post-processing comprises removing the three-dimensional membrane structure and shaping the cultured composition into the foodstuff.
  14. The process according to claim 13, characterized in that the post-processing comprises a treatment with a liquid containing ingredients.

Description

The present invention relates to a process for the production of foodstuffs from cultured cells. Innovative food products, such as products that imitate properties of meat, poultry, fish, seafood, or products derived therefrom, that are based on vegetable proteins are becoming increasingly important as part of the sustainability trend. A major challenge for the acceptance of such products is to match their texture, their nutrition quality, their color and their organoleptic properties (bite) as far as possible to the corresponding properties of real meat, poultry, or fish and seafood products. However, products produced using the known methods and methods available on the market differ significantly from real meat in their texture, their nutrition quality, their color and their bite. This applies to the fibrousness as well as the tenderness or juiciness. In general, each innovative food product faces the same challenges as to texture, nutrition quality, color and bite, in order to ensure consumer acceptance. A typical product that imitates properties of meat, poultry, fish, seafood, or products derived therefrom, is made using a vegetable protein by a method wherein the raw materials (including the vegetable (plant-based) protein) are weighed/dosed and mixed, optionally preconditioned, and subsequently processed in an extruder. Preferably, the thus obtained product is led out of the extruder through a cooling die and cut. This is a very high-energy process in which thermal energy (heating the extruder housing and cooling water in a cooling die or introduction of steam into the extruder) and mechanical energy (specific mechanical energy input) are introduced. However, an increased supply of energy in the process inevitably leads to a stronger texturing, which in turn has a negative effect on the bite or the tenderness of the end product - the products have a rubber-like character. In WO 2021/032866 A1, a method was described which results in the production of a foamed product that has improved characteristics over known food products that imitate properties of meat and fish. It also known in the art to use cultured meat as alternative meat product. Cultured meat, also called synthetic meat, cell-cultured meat, clean meat, and in vitro meat, is meat grown in cell culture instead of inside animal (e.g. Verbeke et al., Journal of Integrative Agriculture 14.2 (2015): 285-294). For example, muscle cells are grown ex vivo attached to either a 2D or 3D support structure. However, the currently available cultured meat products have not yet gained wide acceptance, since they also exhibit the problems of texture, color and bite discussed above. The current industrial processes for culturing cells or microorganisms are burdensome and expensive. The typically used bioreactors are rigid containers of stainless steel that have to be lavishly sterilized, and the typically fermentation processes only provide low yields. In WO 2005/049784 A1, a cell culture apparatus was suggested for obtaining higher yields. Said a cell culture apparatus comprises a culture chamber, which is typically a bag having a length of about 3 m and a width of about 0,3-0.9 m, in order to enable cultivation of a large volume of a cellular material. In order to provide the interior of such a bag with a sufficient amount of oxygen, the culture chamber is provided for cultivation on a wave induction mechanism. The culture chamber is not completely filled and is moved such that waves protrude through the culture chamber. This system is not optimal, since it requires continuous movement of the culture chamber. This may prevent cells from adhering to surface areas, if such movement is too vigorous, and thus impedes growth to a cellular product that resembles a natural product. Moreover, the required patterns of movement are difficult to scale and consume energy, and thus any necessity for movements is detrimental per se. In WO 2024/211384 A1, an edible microcarrier and/or an edible scaffold for producing cultured cells is disclosed. Said microcarrier or scaffold is obtained from natural eggs, by precipitation of egg proteins which serves as microcarriers for cell growth. Said microcarrier or scaffold itself provides for some of the nutrients required for cell cultivation. However, said process involves the use of natural eggs and thus does not circumvent the necessity of animal husbandry. Moreover, since the microcarrier or scaffold is not provided in an encasing, sterility issues may arise. It was the problem of the present invention to provide a process for the production of foodstuffs from cultured cells that overcomes the above drawbacks. The above problem has been solved by the present invention. In detail, the present invention is related to aprocess for cultivating cells or microorganisms, comprising the steps of a) providing a three-dimensional flexible membrane structure which is permeable to gases and impermeable to liquid and solid components,b)