It will use protein derived from bovine stem cells
and will be prepared by a celebrity chef Heston
Blumenthal — but who will be the first to taste it
is still undecided.
Three thousand pieces of muscle and a couple of
hundred pieces of fat tissue will need to be
grown in fermentation vats to make a regular
hamburger sized patty for the €250,000
($393,000) hamburger.
Dr Mark Post, of Maastricht University in the
Netherlands, said the anonymous backer of his
research project had not yet decided who would
get to eat the world's most expensive fake
hamburger.
Post said a hamburger made from artificial beef
protein was a milestone in the development of
ways to meet the global demand for meat, which
is expected to double by 2050.
"In October, we're going to provide a 'proof of
concept' showing that with in-vitro culture
methods that are pretty classical we can make a
product out of stem cells that looks like, and
hopefully taste like, meat," Post said.
Researchers have been working on this
challenge the past six years but have
encountered technical challenges, such as giving
the meat a pinkish colour and the right texture for
cooking and eating, as well as ensuring that it
feels and tastes like real meat.
Post admitted to being nervous about the final
result.
"I am a little worried, but seeing and tasting is
believing," he told The Independent.
Animals still have to be killed to provide the
bovine stem cells but scientists estimate that a
million times more meat could be made from the
carcass of a single cow, compared with
conventional cattle rearing.
It would also save the land, water and oil needed
to raise cattle for the meat trade, Post said.
"Right now we are using about 70 per cent of all
our agricultural capacity to grow meat through
livestock. You are going to need alternatives. If
we don't do anything, meat will become a luxury
food and will become very expensive," he said.
"Livestock also contribute a lot to greenhouse
gas emissions, more so than our entire transport
system. Livestock produces 39 per cent of the
methane, five per cent of CO2 and 40 per cent of
all the nitrous oxide. Eventually we'll have an
'eco-tax' on meat."
Growing meat in fermentation vats might be
better for the environment, but several scientific
communities have raised doubts, saying more
research is needed.
Post said he believes it might be more
acceptable to vegetarians and people concerned
about the welfare of livestock.
Growing artificial meat may allow greater control.
It will be possible, for example, to alter the fat
content, or the amount of polyunsaturated fats vs
saturated fats. Post refused to reveal who his
backer was, except to say that he was well
known but not a celebrity. "It's a very reputable
source of money," he said.
and will be prepared by a celebrity chef Heston
Blumenthal — but who will be the first to taste it
is still undecided.
Three thousand pieces of muscle and a couple of
hundred pieces of fat tissue will need to be
grown in fermentation vats to make a regular
hamburger sized patty for the €250,000
($393,000) hamburger.
Dr Mark Post, of Maastricht University in the
Netherlands, said the anonymous backer of his
research project had not yet decided who would
get to eat the world's most expensive fake
hamburger.
Post said a hamburger made from artificial beef
protein was a milestone in the development of
ways to meet the global demand for meat, which
is expected to double by 2050.
"In October, we're going to provide a 'proof of
concept' showing that with in-vitro culture
methods that are pretty classical we can make a
product out of stem cells that looks like, and
hopefully taste like, meat," Post said.
Researchers have been working on this
challenge the past six years but have
encountered technical challenges, such as giving
the meat a pinkish colour and the right texture for
cooking and eating, as well as ensuring that it
feels and tastes like real meat.
Post admitted to being nervous about the final
result.
"I am a little worried, but seeing and tasting is
believing," he told The Independent.
Animals still have to be killed to provide the
bovine stem cells but scientists estimate that a
million times more meat could be made from the
carcass of a single cow, compared with
conventional cattle rearing.
It would also save the land, water and oil needed
to raise cattle for the meat trade, Post said.
"Right now we are using about 70 per cent of all
our agricultural capacity to grow meat through
livestock. You are going to need alternatives. If
we don't do anything, meat will become a luxury
food and will become very expensive," he said.
"Livestock also contribute a lot to greenhouse
gas emissions, more so than our entire transport
system. Livestock produces 39 per cent of the
methane, five per cent of CO2 and 40 per cent of
all the nitrous oxide. Eventually we'll have an
'eco-tax' on meat."
Growing meat in fermentation vats might be
better for the environment, but several scientific
communities have raised doubts, saying more
research is needed.
Post said he believes it might be more
acceptable to vegetarians and people concerned
about the welfare of livestock.
Growing artificial meat may allow greater control.
It will be possible, for example, to alter the fat
content, or the amount of polyunsaturated fats vs
saturated fats. Post refused to reveal who his
backer was, except to say that he was well
known but not a celebrity. "It's a very reputable
source of money," he said.
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