Cultivated meat has the potential to contribute to more sustainable food systems, but its nutritional quality must be well understood to enable comparison with conventional meat and to guide future product development. In particular, the amino acid composition is a key determinant of protein quality and nutritional value.
This master’s project will focus on characterizing the amino acid profile of cultivated muscle cells at different stages of development. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, amino acids will be quantified in both undifferentiated cells and differentiated myotubes to evaluate how cellular maturation influences nutritional composition.
The project will involve hands-on experimental work with mammalian cell culture, including cell proliferation and differentiation. Cell imaging techniques will be applied to monitor cell morphology and differentiation status. Protein content will be quantified, followed by acid hydrolysis to release amino acids prior to NMR-based analysis. The resulting data will be processed and analyzed to assess differences in amino acid composition between cell states and to evaluate implications for nutritional quality.
Through this project, the student will gain practical experience in cell culture techniques, cell imaging, protein quantification, acid hydrolysis, NMR spectroscopy, amino acid analysis, and data handling and interpretation. The project will provide interdisciplinary training at the interface of cell biology, analytical chemistry, and food and nutritional science.
