Development of whey protein-derived aerogel microcarriers for cultivated meat production

The purpose of this study is to produce cultivated meat using micro-sized scaffolds made from whey proteins, which are edible by-products generated during cheese processing. WPI-based microcarriers showed particle sizes with ∼90% distributed between 91 and 208 μm (10% WPI) and 131–317 μm (15% WPI), depending on the glycerol content. Mechanical strength was tunable to facilitate cell culture, with hardness increasing from 2.55 N to 23.79 N as WPI and glycerol concentrations increased. All microcarriers support the proliferation and differentiation of C2C12 myoblast cells. Additionally, the model cultured meat demonstrated mechanical strength comparable to that of conventional meats, with hardness values of 7.85 and 13.99 N for 15% WPI compositions containing 10% and 30% glycerol, respectively. This study demonstrated that WPI microcarriers were suitable for cell proliferation and differentiation, owing to their appropriate mechanical properties and high surface area-to-volume ratio, highlighting their applicability for cultured meat production in scalable bioreactor applications.