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-11344050-B2
Publication Date
2022-05-31
Expiration Date
2040-11-20
Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
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 provides apparatuses, systems, and methods for preparing a meat product by growing a cell mass (such as a continuous cell sheet) on substrates designed for large-scale, practical, and efficient cultivation. The apparatus includes an enclosure with a cavity, a substrate configured to support growth of the meat product, and a fluid diffuser that distributes fluid in a predetermined flow pattern for uniform and laminar perfusion. The substrate shapes include spiral forms, planar forms at an 85°–90° angle to the ground, and other configurations designed to maximize surface area, rigidity, and scalability in growing cultured meat products.
Conventional apparatuses are limited either to the recovery of cell-secreted products in suspension or small-scale adherent cell growth, and are not suitable for producing continuous cell sheets at a scale necessary for meat production. These prior devices cannot sustain the growth and harvest of cell-based meat products efficiently and cost-effectively for consumption. The disclosed invention addresses these limitations by enabling high-density, scalable, and controlled production of adherent cell masses, facilitating both growth and effective separation from the substrate.
Key features of the innovation include the ability to precisely control and maintain the environment for cell adhesion, growth, and retention on substrates, and to separate the resulting cell sheet as an intact, continuous tissue. Fluid delivery systems, including diffusers with tapered or conical surfaces and specific opening patterns, create controlled flow conditions over large surfaces to optimize consistency and scalability. The apparatus can also be efficiently sterilized, disassembled, and reused, minimizing waste and production costs, and is capable of producing a variety of comestible, cell-based meat products from different animal cell types.
Claims Coverage
The patent claims cover a method for growing and harvesting a cell mass that forms a continuous sheet on specific substrate configurations, featuring fluid delivery and separation techniques, with multiple inventive features.
Growth of cell mass on angled or spiral substrates
The invention involves growing a cell mass on a substrate that is either spiral in shape, perpendicular to a ground surface, or planar and oriented at an angle of 85°–90° to the ground. This arrangement enhances surface area utilization and enables efficient cell adherence and growth for applications such as cultured meat production.
Separation of continuous cell sheet by cell-to-cell or extracellular matrix association
After growth, the cell mass is separated from the substrate in a continuous sheet, with the integrity of the sheet maintained by cell-to-cell interactions and/or extracellular matrix generated by the cells. This enables the recovery of cohesive, intact sheets suitable for further processing or consumption.
In summary, the inventive features focus on substrate orientation and shape to improve cell growth and use fluid-based separation mechanisms to recover intact, continuous cell sheets for meat products.
Stated Advantages
The invention allows cost-effective and scalable production of cell-based meat products by supporting growth of cell sheets on large or multiple substrates.
The apparatus and methods enable uniform and laminar fluid flow over substantial surface areas, promoting consistent and optimized cell growth.
The system enables controlled, efficient, and intact separation of cultured cell sheets from substrates, improving yield and product quality.
The apparatus can be disassembled, sterilized, and reused, reducing waste and production costs and improving efficiency.
Documented Applications
Preparation of comestible, cell-based meat products using cultured cells from species such as bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine, poultry, and aquatic animals.
Interested in licensing this patent?