The demand for cultivated meat has highlighted the need for edible scaffolds capable of providing both structural stability and hydration-mediated material performance. Chlorella contains polysaccharides that can modulate water retention and mechanical reinforcement by forming hydrogen-bonding networks and promoting polymer chain entanglement within composite matrices. However, a large fraction of these polysaccharides remains sequestered behind the rigid microalgal cell wall, limiting their functional contribution to scaffold systems.

To improve the availability of intracellular polysaccharides, microwave-assisted extraction was employed, utilizing dielectric heating and ionic conduction to disrupt the Chlorella cell wall and obtain polysaccharide-rich extracts from chromatic Chlorella types (yellow, white, and green) that are relevant to hydration behavior and network organization within edible scaffold systems. Polysaccharide levels were quantified by the phenol-sulfuric acid method and used as a compositional index for scaffold formulation. Gelatin-chitosan fiber scaffolds incorporating these extracts were fabricated and characterized through rheological, structural, and physicochemical analyses.

Differences in extract polysaccharide content have the potential to modulate hydration capacity, fiber-forming behavior, and scaffold stiffness, positioning Chlorella-derived polysaccharides as a compositional variable linked to network organization within edible fiber matrices. Identifying how these extract-driven changes correlate with scaffold structure and cellular interactions will clarify the role of Chlorella polysaccharides in cultivated meat scaffold design and establish a basis for material optimization using food-grade microalgal components.