Generation of multitissue cell-cultivated meat via multidirectional differentiation of stable porcine epiblast stem cells

Abstract

Cell-cultivated meat has emerged as an alternative approach for sustainable protein production, but replicating the texture and complex composition of conventional meat remains a critical challenge. Here, we developed an efficient approach to produce multitissue engineered meat by leveraging a serum- and animal-component-free differentiation system to direct porcine pregastrulation epiblast stem cells toward muscle, adipose, and endothelium with synergistic functions. These three types of cell progenitors demonstrated autonomous intercellular recognition and coculture compatibility in a scaffold-free 3D suspension system, enabling the spontaneous formation of tissue-mimetic spheroids with enhanced cellular multiplication efficiency. The products of multitissue cultivated meat recapitulated the textural properties of conventional pork and allowed for nutritional modulation. This platform overcomes key limitations in currently employed cultured meat technologies by integrating scalable 3D suspension culture with serum-free, species-specific stem cell multidirectional differentiation, providing an avenue for the development of multitissue cell-cultivated meat.