·· ·· ··
Editor
CELL-AG

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Engineered marbled meat through EPA-mediated co-differentiation of porcine muscle and fat progenitors without conventional hormonal induction.

Journal of advanced research · 16 August 2026 · DOI 10.1016/j.jare.2026.08.043

Porcine muscle and fat progenitors were co-cultured to produce marbled cultivated meat without standard hormone-based fat induction. Researchers encapsulated both cell types in an edible carrageenan-konjac glucomannan hydrogel, then used eicosapentaenoic acid to drive differentiation. The scaffold supported cell growth, lipid storage and muscle-tube formation, while avoiding the reduced muscle formation linked to conventional adipogenic cocktails. Compared with horse-serum controls, the product contained more protein and fat. Its hardness and chewiness approached commercial streaky pork, supporting the method’s use for integrated muscle-fat structures.

Read the paper →

Related

Science digest

Precision-fermented milk proteins as a model for industrial food biotechnology.

An opinion article assesses precision-fermented milk proteins as alternatives to livestock-linked dairy supplies, with implications for food, clinical products and infant nutrition. It compares β-lactoglobulin, α-lactalbumin and caseins by nutritional role, food function, production difficulty and market readiness. The authors report that better microbial hosts, protein secretion and process design have brought production closer to industrial use. They conclude that scale, accurate post-translational processing and careful protein selection matter more than expressing the correct genetic sequence alone.

16 September 2026

Science digest

Emerging applications of Kluyveromyces marxianus in precision fermentation.

Kluyveromyces marxianus could support precision fermentation across several product classes, widening the choice of production organisms and feedstocks. The review examines work on bioethanol, organic acids, flavour compounds and enzymes. It considers strain screening, fermentation design, temperature, pH and oxygen supply. The authors link the yeast’s fast growth, tolerance of heat and acidity, varied substrate use and genetic diversity with its production potential. Better engineering tools help, but strain choice and process control remain decisive.

16 September 2026

Science digest

Microbial remodeling of bile acids: emerging engineering strategies for precision fermentation and functional food innovation.

A review examines microbial bile acid conversion as a way to control metabolites linking diet and gut microbes with human metabolism and immunity. It surveys synthetic biology methods that rebuild bile acid pathways as modules in manageable microbial hosts. It also covers process optimisation, computational design, biosensors and encapsulation for improving scale and predictability. Such control could support pharmabiotics, functional foods and personalised microbiome treatments, but the abstract reports no performance data for these applications.

16 September 2026