In a significant leap toward sustainable food innovation, scientists at the University of Tokyo have created the most realistic lab-grown chicken to date, complete with muscle texture and structure that mimics the real thing.
The team used a breakthrough bioreactor system that acts like a circulatory system, successfully growing over 10 grams of structured chicken meat without the need for farms or the real thing. They’ve since published a new study on their findings.
For years, one of the biggest challenges in producing lab-grown chicken and other cultured meats has been growing anything beyond ground meat. That’s because blood vessels carry oxygen and nutrients deep into tissues in natural organisms. Without that internal circulation, lab-grown tissues can’t grow thicker than a millimeter or two, making it impossible to recreate something akin to a full chicken breast.
However, researchers at the University of Tokyo tackled this problem using what they call a “Hollow Fiber Bioreactor.” This setup is inspired by medical devices like dialysis machines. More than 1,100 tiny hollow fibers delivered nutrients throughout the tissue, much like blood vessels would in a real animal.
Using fibroblast cells to help build connective tissue, they managed to grow a convincing cut of chicken with realistic alignment and firmness. This advance moves lab-grown chicken far beyond the mushy ground meat commonly associated with cultured products.
It’s a step toward replicating the experience of biting into a real, juicy chicken fillet but without the environmental cost and ethical concerns of traditional poultry farming. As bird flu outbreaks become more frequent and deadly, this method offers a safer, disease-resistant alternative to conventional farming.
Plus, the technology behind it could one day be used in regenerative medicine, drug testing, or even in building soft robots powered by real muscle tissue.
There are still hurdles, of course. Researchers need to refine oxygen delivery, automate fiber removal after growth, and transition to food-safe or edible materials for large-scale production. But their success so far suggests that high-quality lab-grown chicken is closer than ever to becoming a reality.
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