Apparatuses and systems for preparing a meat product
Inventors
Leung, Matthew • Warner, Michelle • VANDERPOL, Ryan Edward • HSIU, Thomas Pei-Ja • CARSWELL, Kathleen
Assignees
Accenture LLP • Upside Foods Inc
Publication Number
US-11147300-B2
Publication Date
2021-10-19
Expiration Date
2040-11-20
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Abstract
The apparatuses described herein relate to preparation of a meat product. Apparatuses, systems comprising the apparatuses, and methods of making and use the systems and apparatuses are described herein. These are useful for controlling one or more of growth on and separation of a meat product from an enclosed substrate. The apparatuses and systems are configured to receive fluid and grow the meat product and/or separate the meat product from the substrate in a scalable manner.
Core Innovation
The invention described relates to apparatuses, systems, and methods for preparing a meat product by controlling the growth and separation of cultured cells (cell sheets) on enclosed substrates. The apparatuses typically include components such as an enclosure defining a cavity, substrates within the cavity configured to support meat product growth, fluid diffusers for delivering fluid across the substrates, and separators for controlled removal of the grown meat product. These systems allow for scalable and consistent production of comestible tissue by supporting the growth of continuous cell sheets, which can be cultured to dimensions suitable for consumption.
The problem addressed by the invention is that conventional cell culture apparatuses are not designed for sustained growth of cell sheets on a practical, consumable scale. Prior systems mainly recover secreted cell products from media and do not facilitate effective recovery of the cells themselves as a meat product. The invention presents designs enabling scalable, cost-effective, and efficient growth, adherence, retention, and controlled separation of meat products from substrates, overcoming limitations such as limited size, tortuous fluid pathways, and difficulty in handling large cell sheets.
This apparatus can include features such as spirally or longitudinally arranged substrates with grooved or turned surfaces, fluid channels for growth media delivery, and mechanical or fluidic systems for separating cell sheets. The invention allows for the growth of meat products on various substrate configurations, such as parallel plates or spiral tubes, under uniformly distributed laminar fluid flow conditions, and provides solutions for collecting and harvesting continuous sheets of cells held together by cell-to-cell interactions or extracellular matrix. Methods of use include culturing non-human cells on substrates using defined fluid flows and separating the product using controlled shear force.
Claims Coverage
The patent contains two independent claims, each covering a core apparatus and system aspect of meat product preparation.
Apparatus with enclosure and grooved substrate for meat product preparation
An apparatus is provided comprising: - An enclosure defining a cavity. - A substrate arranged within the cavity having one or more grooved surfaces. - The apparatus may further support: the substrate configured as a tube within a tube or having multiple turns about a longitudinal axis; the enclosure configured to be placed on a ground surface with its longitudinal axis at an acute angle (at least about 85 degrees); and optionally, a separator that separates the meat product from the substrate as a continuous sheet of cells held together by cell-to-cell interactions and extracellular matrix generated by the cells. The separator may include fluid nozzles directing fluid towards the substrate at a predetermined angle, and may rotate about a predetermined axis while in operation. Fluid separation occurs with linear velocity between about 0.003 m/sec and about 3.0 m/sec. The substrate surface supports the adhesion of the meat product.
System with enclosure, curved substrate, fluid pump, fluid source, and controller for growth and separation of meat product
A system is provided comprising: - An enclosure with a cavity. - A substrate within the cavity, having one or more surfaces, curved around a longitudinal axis, with the surface configured to support growth of the meat product, and configured to receive an inflow of fluid substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. - A fluid pump coupled to the enclosure. - A fluid source coupled to the fluid pump. - A controller coupled to the fluid pump and configured to: 1. Generate a first fluid pump signal to generate a first fluid flow using the fluid pump, wherein the first fluid flow provides medium to grow the meat product on the substrate. 2. Generate a second fluid pump signal to generate a second fluid flow using the fluid pump, wherein the second fluid flow separates the meat product from the substrate. - The first fluid flow is substantially uniform and laminar; the first flow rate can range from 0.003 meters per second to 0.3 meters per second, and the second fluid flow has a higher flow rate. The system may further include one or more sensors measuring one or more parameters of the fluid.
The inventive features defined in the independent claims focus on specialized apparatuses for culturing and separating cell-based meat products using substrates with specific configurations and supporting systems for precise fluid delivery and control, enabling scalable and efficient production and harvesting of continuous meat product sheets.
Stated Advantages
The apparatuses provide significant improvements in growth, adhesion, retention, and separation of cell sheets compared to conventional systems and techniques.
The invention allows cost-effective scaling to produce meat products of sufficient physical dimensions for consumption.
The fluid diffuser enables substantially uniform and laminar flow, promoting consistent cell growth across large surface areas of substrates.
Recovery of cell sheets is aided by a fluidic release mechanism allowing controlled and scalable production and collection of edible meat product.
The apparatus can be disassembled, sterilized, and reused, reducing waste, cost, and improving production efficiency.
Documented Applications
Preparation of a meat product by growing and harvesting comestible tissue from cultured non-human cells on substrates.
Use in systems for scalable production of cell-based meat products suitable for consumption.
Application in growth and separation of meat products from livestock, poultry, game, and aquatic animal species cells.
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