3D bioprinting of plant and animal cell-based hybrid food

Abstract

Cellular agriculture is an emerging field that leverages stem cell biology, biotechnology, and tissue engineering to produce meat and other agricultural products through cell culture techniques. One of the most promising methods within this domain is three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting, which allows for precise layering of cells to form sophisticated structures. In this study, we introduce fully automated chaotic bioprinting with a custom-built extrusion setup taking advantage of an integrated Kenics static mixer printhead to create plant and animal cell-based hybrid noodles. These bioprinted hybrid noodles are made of approximately 30–40% unicellular plant cells (Chlamydomonas or Chlorella microalgae) and 60–70% muscle cells (C2C12 or chicken myoblasts). We further 3D-bioprinted aesthetically appealing hybrid food products of various shapes and sizes, where their textures, nutritional contents, and cooking behaviors are evaluated. This proof-of-concept study demonstrates that 3D bioprinting can reliably produce a distinct category of plant- and animal cell-based hybrid foods and highlights opportunities to create complex culinary designs and explore diverse nutritional profiles with precision and efficiency.