204: Mitigation of Staphylococcus Aureus Contamination in Cultivated Meat Production Using Antimicrobial Peptide 1018-K6

Introduction

The cultivated meat and seafood industry represents a grand shift toward sustainable food production. As the industry progresses to large-scale commercialization, ensuring the safety and quality of the products remains a critical challenge. Microbial contamination is a significant concern in cell culture-based production systems. Thus, there is a growing need to identify and implement effective antimicrobial strategies, which align with the industry's goals of sustainability and safety. This study explores the efficacy of antimicrobial peptides (AMP), particularly 1018-K6, as a substitute for conventional antibiotics in cultivated meat production.

Methods

To identify microbial threats, we isolated 12 bacterial strains from cell culture environments and human hands. The growth potential in C2C12 myoblast cell culture were evaluated. We utilized a C2C12 myoblast cell culture system to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of AMP 1018-K6 against the selected strains, with the various setups: DMEM alone, DMEM with C2C12 cells, DMEM with fetal bovine serum (FBS), and DMEM with both FBS and C2C12 cells. To better represent indistrial production, serum-free medium (Essential 8 from Thermo Fisher Scientific) was used to confirm the efficacy of AMP 1018-K6.

Results

Among the bacterial isolates, Staphylococcus aureus from human demonstrated the highest growth potential in the C2C12 cell culture system (P < 0.05) and was selected for the subsequent antimicrobial study. AMP 1018-K6 effectively reduced bacterial levels below detectable limits at 20 µmol/L in DMEM, 40 µmol/L in DMEM with C2C12 cells, 80 µmol/L in DMEM with FBS, and 160 µmol/L in DMEM with both FBS and cells. These results revealed FBS as the main factor reducing AMP 1018-K6 efficacy. Given that FBS is not recommended to be used in large-scale production, serum-free Essential 8 medium was tested, where 1018-K6 reduced bacterial levels to below detectable limits at 20 µmol/L.

Significance

These findings underscore the potential of AMP 1018-K6 as a highly effective antimicrobial agent for mitigating microbial contamination in cultivated meat production. With its strong antibacterial properties, it offers a promising sustainable alternative to reduce reliance on traditional antibiotics in the cultivated meat and seafood industries.

Authors: Yuan Guo, Dan Li