AFFORDABLE AND SCALABLE 3D BIOMANUFACTURING SYSTEM FOR REGENERATIVE BEEF PROTEINS AS INNOVATIVE FOOD PROTEINS

The goal is to produce cost-effective regenerative beef proteins (RBPs) utilizing cattle blood waste for high-quality drop-in innovative food proteins. Our overarching hypothesis is that cost-effective protein-PepGel composites can be developed by rationally manipulating plant protein-based polypeptides and hydrolytes for 3D scaffolding medium for cattle induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) expansion and maintenance via stirring tank bioreactor system, and then the iPSCs can be further processed for affordable scalable high nutritional quality RBP production through physical engineering approach. The specific objectives of this proposed research are to 1) convert cattle blood mycoplasma into self-renewable cattle iPSCs; 2) develop low-cost soy protein-PepGel hydrogel composites for 3D scaffolding for cattle iPSC expansion and maintenance; 3) optimize 3D bioreactor manufacturing of cattle iPSCs and demonstrate RBP production from cattle iPSCs at kilo gram scale and conduct techno-economic analysis; and 4) assess nutritional quality of the RBP in vitro and in vivo in comparison with reference proteins extracted from beef meat.