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Food Research - in search of the lab-grown steak
From cutlets, to burgers, to frogs' legs, people consume immense amounts of meat. Demand for meat is expected to double over the next 40 years. But where will all that meat come from? <span style="font-weight: bold">The answer, according to Dutch researchers, is the laboratory. They are trying to make vat-grown steak, artificial meat produced in cell culture in incubators. [/b
[b]]How will fastfood be in the year 2050</span>? Probably we will be surprised, because a lot of things may change. The reason is: Meat prices are predicted to rise dramatically in the next decades, the number of meat consumers doubles and the space for farming meat decreases. One way around the problem is to produce meat in the lab. But the vat-grown meat does not look like meat as we know it yet. Bernard Roelen is working on that possible future. He explains, that meat is basically muscle tissue. He and his researchers are trying to let stem cells from either pig or cow differentiate into muscle cells and then process these cells into an edible product.
Meat could be grown in laboratories very soon
Training pig stem cells to solve the problem
Pork made in the lab sounds crazy. But, it has potential. Because stem cells don't stop proliferating. In principle, one stem cell could produce enough meat to cover the entire world's needs. But the result wouldn't be very appetising - just a formless mass of cells. The next step because of that is to give the cells a structure - to make it look like meat. So the muscle cells must be arranged on an edible polymer framework. To gain proper shape the cells have to go to the gym.
That’s Mark Posts job. He is a stem cell trainer. He describes the training as a electric stimulation the muscles to develop a fibrous structure - just like natural muscle. But, there is a problem. The blood flow to the cells is missing - so the inner layers of the muscles lack the necessary nutrients - and die off. That means the artificial meat can't be produced any thicker than half a centimeter. The way to a proper lab steak is still quite long.
<span style="font-weight: bold">How does lab meat taste like? Roasted and tasty?</span>
Lab meat in the pan – nothing but an art experiment An initial taste tests has already taken place in France. Artists served up lab-grown meat marinated with apple brandy. The experimental chefs used frog muscle cells. The test was designed to show just what humans are prepared to eat. Unfortunately, the meat produced on that occasion didn't agree with the guests. One taste tester developed an allergy to the edible polymer.
And, there's another reason why vat-grown meat hasn't hit the shops just yet:<span style="font-weight: bold"> The current cost of producing a nugget-sized piece of meat is around 60,000 Euros.</span> That's nothing to laugh about for the consumer.
From cutlets, to burgers, to frogs' legs, people consume immense amounts of meat. Demand for meat is expected to double over the next 40 years. But where will all that meat come from? <span style="font-weight: bold">The answer, according to Dutch researchers, is the laboratory. They are trying to make vat-grown steak, artificial meat produced in cell culture in incubators. [/b
[b]]How will fastfood be in the year 2050</span>? Probably we will be surprised, because a lot of things may change. The reason is: Meat prices are predicted to rise dramatically in the next decades, the number of meat consumers doubles and the space for farming meat decreases. One way around the problem is to produce meat in the lab. But the vat-grown meat does not look like meat as we know it yet. Bernard Roelen is working on that possible future. He explains, that meat is basically muscle tissue. He and his researchers are trying to let stem cells from either pig or cow differentiate into muscle cells and then process these cells into an edible product.
Meat could be grown in laboratories very soon
Training pig stem cells to solve the problem
Pork made in the lab sounds crazy. But, it has potential. Because stem cells don't stop proliferating. In principle, one stem cell could produce enough meat to cover the entire world's needs. But the result wouldn't be very appetising - just a formless mass of cells. The next step because of that is to give the cells a structure - to make it look like meat. So the muscle cells must be arranged on an edible polymer framework. To gain proper shape the cells have to go to the gym.
That’s Mark Posts job. He is a stem cell trainer. He describes the training as a electric stimulation the muscles to develop a fibrous structure - just like natural muscle. But, there is a problem. The blood flow to the cells is missing - so the inner layers of the muscles lack the necessary nutrients - and die off. That means the artificial meat can't be produced any thicker than half a centimeter. The way to a proper lab steak is still quite long.
<span style="font-weight: bold">How does lab meat taste like? Roasted and tasty?</span>
Lab meat in the pan – nothing but an art experiment An initial taste tests has already taken place in France. Artists served up lab-grown meat marinated with apple brandy. The experimental chefs used frog muscle cells. The test was designed to show just what humans are prepared to eat. Unfortunately, the meat produced on that occasion didn't agree with the guests. One taste tester developed an allergy to the edible polymer.
And, there's another reason why vat-grown meat hasn't hit the shops just yet:<span style="font-weight: bold"> The current cost of producing a nugget-sized piece of meat is around 60,000 Euros.</span> That's nothing to laugh about for the consumer.
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