Methods to Isolate Muscle Stem Cells for Cell-Based Cultured Meat Production: A Review.

Simple Summary: Cultured meat development relies on diverse cell types, with muscle stem cells (MuSCs) standing out for their superior muscle differentiation abilities. Extracting MuSCs from muscles involves methods like pre-plating based on cell adhesion, density gradient centrifugation using cell density variations, and fluorescence- and magnetic-activated cell sorting relying on molecular markers. As the cultured meat industry progresses, the demand for more efficient separation techniques is expected to grow. This review delves into these existing methods and explores future avenues for isolating MuSCs for cultured meat production. Cultured meat production relies on various cell types, including muscle stem cells (MuSCs), embryonic stem cell lines, induced pluripotent cell lines, and naturally immortalized cell lines. MuSCs possess superior muscle differentiation capabilities compared to the other three cell lines, making them key for cultured meat development. Therefore, to produce cultured meat using MuSCs, they must first be effectively separated from muscles. At present, the methods used to isolate MuSCs from muscles include (1) the pre-plating method, using the ability of cells to adhere differently, which is a biological characteristic of MuSCs; (2) the density gradient centrifugation method, using the intrinsic density difference of cells, which is a physical characteristic of MuSCs; and (3) fluorescence- and magnetic-activated cell sorting methods, using the surface marker protein on the cell surface of MuSCs, which is a molecular characteristic of MuSCs. Further efficient and valuable methods for separating MuSCs are expected to be required as the cell-based cultured meat industry develops. Thus, we take a closer look at the four methods currently in use and discuss future development directions in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]