Optimizing fatty acids composition in meat-like tissue derived from myogenic conversion of pig fibroblasts

Abstract

Fibroblasts are abundant throughout the body and easily accessible without animal sacrifice. They possess the ability to proliferate and differentiate into muscle and fat tissues, as well as to produce extracellular matrix components, making them ideal for cultured meat production. In this study, we utilized the pig fibroblasts as seed cells and conducted myogenic/lipogenic transdifferentiation in 3D to create a muscle/fat matrix constituting whole-cut meat within 9 days. The muscle cells were efficiently derived from the fibroblasts overexpressing MyoD and the subsequent lipid deposition into the muscle was achieved by supplementing with a lipogenic inducer composed of olive oil and soybean lecithin. Lipidomic analysis revealed that the engineered meat exhibited a healthier fatty acid profile compare to conventional pork, with reduced saturated fatty acids (44.49% vs. 51.2%) and increased polyunsaturated fatty acids (31.33% vs. 27.01%). These findings open new avenues for customized cultured meat production with optimized fatty acids compositions tailored to meet the diverse consumer demands.