Emerging Microfluidic Building Blocks for Cultured Meat Construction

Cultured meat aims to produce meat mass by culturing cells and tissues based on the muscle regeneration mechanism, and is considered an alternative to raising and slaughtering livestock. Hydrogel building blocks are commonly used as substrates for cell culture in tissue engineering and cultured meat because of their high water content, biocompatibility, and similar three-dimensional (3D) environment to the cellular niche in vivo. With the characteristics of precise manipulation of fluids, microfluidics exhibits advantages in the fabrication of building blocks with different structures and components, which have been widely applied in tissue regeneration. Microfluidic building blocks show promising prospects in the field of cultured meat; however, few reviews on the application of microfluidic building blocks in cultured meat have been published. This review outlines the recent status and prospects of the use of microfluidic building blocks in cultured meat. Starting with the introduction of cells and materials for cultured meat tissue construction, we then describe the diverse structures of the fabricated building blocks, including microspheres, microfibers, and microsphere-microfiber hybrid systems. Next, the stacking strategies for tissue construction are highlighted in detail. Finally, challenges and future prospects for developing microfluidic building blocks for cultured meat are discussed.