Gradially A path toward signal-guided marbling in cultivated meat Asaf Balaga
HTGAA, Spring 2026
MIT Media Lab
Section 1: Abstract Cultivated meat is not only a challenge of growing cells, but of organizing them into convincing food. Recent work suggests that realistic cultivated meat products will depend on internal muscle–fat structure, because they must approach conventional meat not only in cellular composition, but also in taste, texture, nutritional profile, and visual familiarity. This project addresses the problem of how internal structure in cultivated meat might eventually be guided rather than passively produced.