Valorization of co-products in the formulation of growth media for cellular foods

The food industry is facing a debate on sustainability, driving research towards innovative solutions to reduce environmental impact. In this context, cultured meat represents a good alternative. However, its development is still hampered by major challenges, including the formulation of ethical, economically viable and cell-compatible culture media. For this, the aim of the study was to evaluate the use of food co-products as components of C2C12 muscle cell culture medium and to analyse their effect during cell proliferation and differentiation. In particular, protein hydrolysates obtained from hemp flowers (HF), shrimp processing (SP) and a chemical extract (50:50, H2O/EtOH) from oil sansa (OS) were investigated. Besides presenting a valuable protein content, in particular SP (46.72±1.31%), all matrices showed high antioxidant activity, with highest values for OS (262.82±8.77 mg FeSO₄/100 g) and SP (201.51±16.17 mg FeSO₄/100 g), tested with FRAP assay. Proliferation assay (Alamar Blue test), performed after 24 and 48 h of muscle cell culture with HF (11.7-0.02 mg/mL), SP (12.5-0.01 mg/mL) e OS (33.3-0.015 mg/mL), showed that concentrations between 1.46-0.37 mg/mL, 1.56-0.20 mg/mL and 1.04-0.26 mg/mL, respectively for HF, SP and OS, supported cell proliferation. Cell differentiation assay, conducted by assessing Citrate Synthase and Creatine Kinase activity, showed promising results, especially at lower concentrations. Future research will focus on combining the BEST concentrations of HF, OS and SP to evaluate a synergistic effect that can improve cell growth and differentiation. The integration of ingredients in cell culture media could open up new perspectives for cultured food production in line with the principles of the circular economy.