Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a new method for growing lab-cultured chicken meat that mimics natural blood vessel systems, offering a potential breakthrough in the production of realistic, ethical alternatives to conventional meat. The team successfully produced nugget-sized pieces of chicken muscle using a bioreactor equipped with artificial vessels that deliver nutrients and oxygen evenly throughout the tissue—one of the major challenges in lab-grown meat production.

The innovation centers on a device called a perfusable hollow fiber bioreactor, which uses tiny, tube-like structures to replicate the function of blood vessels. These artificial vessels not only keep the cells alive by providing a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients but also guide muscle cell growth through microscopic anchors that help align the tissue properly.

When applied to chicken muscle tissue, the system produced samples with improved structural integrity, texture, and even taste—key features that make cultured meat more comparable to traditional meat products.

To make the technique scalable, the team introduced robotic automation to help assemble the fiber networks more efficiently. This step is aimed at making mass production of cultured meat more feasible in the future.

“Our study presents a scalable, top-down strategy for producing whole-cut cultured meat using a perfusable hollow fiber bioreactor,” said senior author Shoji Takeuchi in a statement. “This system enables cell distribution, alignment, contractility, and improved food-related properties.”

The researchers emphasize that their approach offers a sustainable and ethical alternative to meat production, which could help reduce the environmental and ethical issues associated with industrial animal farming.

By Impact Lab