ビール酵母から人工肉の構造素材を生成する新技術(From pint to plate: scientists brew up a new way to grow meat)

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2026-01-05 ユニバーシティ・カレッジ・ロンドン(UCL)

ロンドン大学ユニバーシティ・カレッジ(UCL)の研究チームは、ビール醸造の副産物である酵母を利用して、培養肉(ラボで育てる肉)のための食用スキャフォールド(細胞の足場)を生成する新手法を開発した。培養肉は動物細胞をラボで増殖させる食品だが、細胞を支える高品質で安価な素材の確保が商業化の大きな課題となっている。この研究では、ビール醸造後に残る酵母から得られる細菌性セルロースを食用足場として利用し、繊維質や食感が自然肉に近い構造を作れる可能性を示した。実証実験では、繊維の強度や噛み応えが従来の培養方法と同等以上であり、動物細胞(肉に含まれる線維芽細胞)が足場に定着することも確認された。これにより、培養肉の生産コストおよび環境負荷を低減し得る新たなアプローチとして期待される。今後は他の細胞種類や異なる酵母廃棄物での検証が進む予定だ。

<関連情報>

醸造廃棄物由来のバクテリアセルロース足場を培養肉に応用

Bacterial cellulose scaffolds derived from brewing waste for cultivated meat applications

Christian Harrison,Elif Gokoglan,Richard M. Day

Frontiers in Nutrition  Published:19 September 2025

DOI:https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2025.1656960

ビール酵母から人工肉の構造素材を生成する新技術(From pint to plate: scientists brew up a new way to grow meat)

Introduction: The negative externalities of conventional meat production are driving a search for sustainable alternative proteins. Cultivated meat (CM) is one such alternative, but its development is constrained by the need for sustainable, edible, and low-cost cellular scaffolds that can replicate animal tissue texture and structure. Bacterial cellulose (BC) derived from brewer’s spent yeast (BSY) could provide a scalable and affordable scaffold material for structured CM products.

Methods: The composition of BSY and its ability to support BC growth were assessed through metabolic analysis and growth trials. Properties relevant to CM applications of BSY-derived BC were then investigated. Scanning electron microscopy was used to quantify surface porosity. Mechanical properties were measured using texture profile analysis. Thermal and chemical properties were assessed using differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and biocompatibility was evaluated through cell attachment assays.

Results: BSY supported BC production, yielding material with structural, thermal, and textural properties comparable to BC grown on conventional media and similar to conventional meat products. BSY-derived BC also supported L929 fibroblasts, with 35.9% ± 2.5% cell attachment after 24 h and evidence of continued proliferation.

Discussion: These findings demonstrate that BSY can be effectively valorized to produce BC scaffolds for CM. This approach offers a cost-effective and sustainable strategy to improve the scalability of cultivated meat, contributing to future sustainable food production.

生物化学工学
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