Oil Delivery to Bovine Satellite Cells in Cultivated Meat by Soy Protein Colloidosomes

Cultivating fat for edible tissue presents significant challenges, due to the high costs associated with growth and differentiation factors, alongside the poor viability of adipocytes resulting from cell clustering. Additionally, there is a gap in research regarding the rapid accumulation of fats within cells. To that end, this study presents the development of a biodegradable soy protein colloidosome system for an efficient application: direct delivery of oils into bovine satellite cells, enabling rapid intracellular fat accumulation without the need for adipogenic differentiation. This method aims to enhance fat content while maintaining high cell viability. Colloidosomes are prepared from paraffin/olive oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by soy protein nanoparticles. Their size, shape, and zeta potential are characterized by SEM, Cryo-TEM, and DLS analyses. Confocal microscopy, Cryo-SEM, and analytical centrifugation reveal the morphology, structure, and stability of the colloidosome shell structure. Bioassays on satellite cells show a 20-fold increase in AdipoRed signal when treated with colloidosomes containing 30 μL of olive oil, along with an 80% survival rate after 3 days compared to controls. Through the uptake of colloidosomes, cells act as "oil-rich cells," serving as an alternative form of fat. This method offers a fully biocompatible, safe, efficient, and cost-effective approach to the production of cultured fat, demonstrating a promising strategy for scaling up cultivated meat.