A new study published in npj Science of Food suggests that Aloe vera could improve the scalability and texture of cultured meat by serving as a natural scaffold for fat cell growth. Researchers found that Aloe vera, when combined with oleic acid, helps form fat-like structures that enhance the taste and texture of lab-grown meat.
Scaling up cultured meat production is a major industry challenge due to cost and structural integrity issues. Aloe vera, an abundant agricultural byproduct, offers a biodegradable and edible alternative to synthetic scaffolds, supporting cell adhesion and tissue formation. Global Aloe vera production is estimated at 300,000–500,000 metric tons annually, making it a viable raw material for this application.
The study also introduced a microfluidic single-use bioreactor (MSUB) developed at Reichman University. This device integrates Aloe vera scaffolds to enable large-scale, cost-efficient meat cultivation. Unlike polymer-based scaffolds, Aloe vera effectively absorbs liquid, creating an ideal cell growth environment without additional support structures.
Dr. Gilad Gome led the research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, under Dr. Sharon Schlesinger and Prof. Oded Shoseyov.
This development comes as the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) explores ways to streamline regulatory approval for cultivated meat. The FSA has committed to conducting full safety assessments on two cultivated cell products within two years. With Aloe vera already FDA-approved as a food additive, its use in cultured meat could accelerate commercial adoption and drive