Opportunities Using Crop-Derived Materials as Scaffolds and Culture Media Supplements for Cultivated Meat Production

Cultivated meat offers a sustainable alternative to conventional livestock production, but its commercialization remains constrained by high production costs, reliance on animal-derived culture media, and difficulties in achieving the desired texture and sensory quality. Composite cultivated meat systems incorporating crop-derived materials offer a scalable solution. This review examines crop-derived scaffolds and culture media supplements for these systems. Crop proteins, polysaccharides, matrices, peptides, carbohydrates, minerals, and phytochemicals support cell attachment, tissue formation, and growth while reducing serum dependence. Key processing technologies, such as extrusion, gelation, 3D printing, and freeze-drying, are also highlighted. Finally, major research gaps include standardized material selection, cell-specific optimization, storage and processing evaluation, and greater use of cultivar diversity.