CHICKPEA MICROCARRIERS
This disclosure describes methods for growing cells on chickpea microcarriers as part of a process of creating a comestible food product. Generally, the disclosed method comprises adding chickpea microcarriers to cell culture media in a vessel. The chickpea microcarriers are mixed with non-human cells in the cell culture media. The chickpea microcarriers and non-human cells are mixed to adhere and grow the non-human cells on the surface of the chickpea microcarriers. After mixing, the non-human cells adhered to the surface of the chickpea microcarriers forms a textured cell tissue. The textured cell tissue can be harvested from the vessel and formed into a comestible food product.
1 - 38 . (canceled)
39 . A method of forming cell-based food products comprising:
adding chickpea microcarriers comprising textured chickpea protein to cell culture media;
mixing, within the cell culture media, non-human cells with the chickpea microcarriers;
harvesting textured cell tissue comprising the non-human cells adhered to the chickpea microcarriers; and
forming the textured cell tissue into a comestible food product.
40 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the cell culture media comprises animal serum-free media.
41 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the non-human cells differentiate to exhibit a phenotype comprising: myoblasts, mesoangioblasts, myofibroblasts, mesenchymal stem cells, hepatocytes, fibroblasts, pericytes, adipocytes, epithelial cells, chondrocytes, osteoblasts, osteoclasts, pluripotent cells, somatic stem cells, endothelial cells, or myogenic stem cells prior to harvesting.
42 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the chickpea microcarriers comprise discrete granules and are suspended in the cell culture media.
43 . The method of claim 39 , further comprising: adding the non-human cells to the cell culture media with a seeding density of 1 million non-human cells per milliliter of the cell culture media to 4 million non-human cells per milliliter of the cell culture media.
44 . The method of claim 39 , further comprising:
mixing the non-human cells with the chickpea microcarriers at an initial mixing speed within a range of initial mixing speeds; and
increasing the initial mixing speed after a time period in which the non-human cells adhere to the chickpea microcarriers.
45 . The method of claim 44 , wherein the initial mixing speed within the range of initial mixing speeds causes the non-human cells to adhere to the chickpea microcarriers while limiting formation of aggregates of the non-human cells.
46 . The method of claim 45 , wherein the initial mixing speed within the range of initial mixing speeds supports proliferation of the non-human cells.
47 . The method of claim 46 , wherein the initial mixing speed generates clumps of one or more non-human cells and one or more chickpea microcarriers within a threshold range of clump sizes.
48 . The method of claim 47 , wherein the threshold range of clump sizes of one or more non-human cells and one or more chickpea microcarriers comprises between 75 micrometers and 125 micrometers.
49 . The method of claim 48 , wherein the initial mixing speed does not generate dead zones and suspends the chickpea microcarriers during an initial time period.
50 . The method of claim 39 , wherein the textured cell tissue comprises the chickpea microcarriers, extracellular matrix proteins, and the non-human cells.
51 . The method of claim 39 , further comprising:
concurrently adding the non-human cells and the chickpea microcarriers to the cell culture media.
52 . The method of claim 39 , further comprising:
adding the non-human cells to the cell culture media;
growing the non-human cells in the cell culture media; and
adding the chickpea microcarriers to the cell culture media comprising a plurality of grown non-human cells.
53 . The method of claim 39 , further comprising adding magnesium chloride to one or more non-human cells and one or more chickpea microcarriers within the cell culture media.
54 . The method of claim 39 , wherein a protein content of the non-human cells cultured with the chickpea microcarriers is greater than a protein content of the non-human cells cultured separately from the chickpea microcarriers.
55 . A comestible food product of textured cell tissue comprising:
non-human cells grown from cell culture media; and
chickpea microcarriers comprising textured chickpea protein and adhering to the non-human cells.
56 . The comestible food product of claim 55 , wherein the textured cell tissue further comprises a first layer of the non-human cells over a surface of the chickpea microcarriers and a second layer of the non-human cells over the surface of the chickpea microcarriers.
57 . The comestible food product of claim 55 , wherein the non-human cells form a myotube over a surface of the chickpea microcarriers.
58 . The comestible food product of claim 55 , wherein the textured cell tissue further comprises extracellular matrix proteins.