Sohyeon Park, Milae Lee, Sungwon Jung, Hyun Lee, Bumgyu Choi, Moonhyun Choi, Jeong Min Lee, Ki Hyun Yoo, Dongoh Han, Seung Tae Lee, Won-Gun Koh, Geul Bang, Heeyoun Hwang, Sangmin Lee, Jinkee Hong

Cell; February 14 2024; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matt.2024.01.015

The development of future food is an inevitable task for sustainable humanity. Unfortunately, the future food candidates reported so far have practical limitations in terms of commercialization, such as nutritional imbalance, unfamiliar taste, and poor formability. Accordingly, this study proposes to develop a new food ingredient in which rice grains, nanocoating, and animal cells are integrated. The food properties and value of these rice-based meats are discussed, assessing their potential as sustainable food ingredients. The findings of this study provide feasible ideas for creating various types of future hybrid foods. In the future, this self-production system of grain-based hybrid foods could ensure food relief in underdeveloped countries, during war, and in space.

A strategy to develop a nutrient-rich hybrid food using rice grains functionalized with nanocoating and bovine cells for a sustainable food system is reported. Rice grains are safe food ingredients with a low incidence of allergy and have a nutritional profile and structure suited for 3D cell culture. An edible coating composed of fish gelatin and food enzymes offers a high affinity between rice grains and cells and improves the structural stability of grains for increased cell capacity. The potential of rice grains as cell scaffolds is demonstrated by investigating the interactions between the coating, grains, and cells. The rice grains are transformed into a hybrid food with animal nutrients by containing organized bovine cells. We discuss the food properties and production value of this rice-based meat to evaluate its potential as a sustainable food that guarantees safety from food crises and global warming.

See https://www.cell.com/matter/fulltext/S2590-2385(24)00016-X

Figure: A novel food ingredient that can overcome humanity’s food crisis has been created. Rice grains, a common food ingredient, are coated with gelatin and food enzymes to become a home for cells that can contain many animal cells. Bovine muscle cells and fat cells grow and organize on the surface and inside the rice grain. This product is reminiscent of microbeef sushi and has a different texture, nutritional profile, and flavor than traditional rice grains.