Contents
“Meat in a test tube” is a product that has never been part of a living, full-fledged organism. Modern research projects are working on the creation of experimental meat samples in order to establish its industrial production in the near future. In the future, the creation of a full-fledged cultured muscle tissue, which will also solve the ethical side of the issue, and provide food to the regions in need. The resulting meat cannot be considered vegetarian as it is animal-based and not plant-based (soy/wheat) protein.
Now meat cultivation is expensive. In the future, when the technology is mastered by food concerns, the cost of the product will not exceed the price of ordinary chicken.
What you need to know about the product of the future, how does it differ from ordinary meat, and at what stage are modern research?
From what it all began
Industrial meat production raises not only ethical but also environmental issues. Moreover, finding a quality meat product on the shelves is a very difficult task. Manufacturers often use antibiotics and hormones in their production, which cast doubt on the benefits and safety of the finished product. Livestock management and the industrial production of meat products affect the production of greenhouse gases, the use of fresh water, the rational distribution of territories – and this is not an exhaustive list.
Feed pastures and fields for industrial cattle occupy 30% of the usable sushi of the entire planet, and vegetable gardens / gardens / greenhouses and fields occupy only 4-5%.
We will have to solve global problems with the ecology and quality of meat in the coming years. Today, there are only 2 ways: the creation of meat based on vegetable (peas / soy / wheat) or animal protein.
One of the great solutions to the problem was found by the American company Beyond Meat. They were the first to produce plant-based protein-based patties that are equal in taste and nutritional value to natural meat. The cutlets also “sear” when fried and are absolutely identical in taste to beef / chicken / pork. The only caveat is that the cutlets have a recognizable vegetable smell.
Modern food industry is more interested in meat from animal protein. As the vegetable-based ingredient is considered to be “imitation of meat”, a product grown in a test tube will be absolutely identical to organic meat cuts.
Product creation technology
Meat is the muscle tissue of an animal. To create a product in vitro, you need to get the same muscle cells of the animal. In order for these cells to grow into a large, juicy cut, protein is needed. Animal cells are extracted only once, in the future they will not be required – the synthesis of the already existing material will occur.
A modern technological base provides for the entire 2 variant of meat development in a test tube:
- the formation of a set of muscle cells that are not originally related to each other;
- the formation of a whole structure of muscles that are already connected and are in a certain relationship.
The second way is much more difficult than the first. Why? The muscles of any living organism consist of muscle fibers – these are long cells, inside of which several nuclei are concentrated. These cells cannot divide on their own. Muscle fibers are only formed when progenitor cells fuse with each other to form a new structure. Both satellite cells and embryonic stem cells can connect. In theory, these cells can be placed in a special container, mixed and a new structural unit created, but this is only possible in theory. In order for a muscle to grow, it is necessary to calculate its location, blood supply, oxygen supply, waste disposal and other nuances. Moreover, for the normal development of muscle tissue, it will be necessary to grow several more groups of cells that will support it and promote development. Muscle fibers cannot just be stretched or forced to develop to the desired size and condition, so the process requires tremendous effort, time and material resources.
In 2001, dermatologist Viet Westerhov, doctor Willem van Eile and businessman Willem van Kooten filed a patent for the production of meat in test tubes. Their technology involved the creation of a biological matrix into which the muscle fibers themselves will inject collagen. Then the cells will be poured with nutrient solution and literally forced to multiply. Following the group of scientists, the patent was received by an American, John Wayne. He also grew muscle and fat tissue in an integrated manner. In two cases, it was possible to create food products that were identical to chicken, beef, and fish.
There is a misconception that genetic engineering is used for meat production. In fact, the natural cells from which the cut is formed grow exactly to the same extent as the genetically modified ones.
Synthetic chicken
Memphis Meats launched a unique startup for the development of synthetic chicken meat. This company was the first to grow chicken meat in the laboratory. The scientists decided to recreate the chicken nuggets not from the animal’s thigh, but from an ordinary test tube, which they successfully managed. Technically, nuggets can be called meat, because they are made from the stem cells of an animal organism. But the process of growing and forming a product turned out to be cleaner and more economical. Synthetic chicken meat “Memphis Meats” fully satisfied environmentalists, vegetarians, large industrial concerns and ordinary citizens.
The head of the company, Uma Valeti, decided to release the nuggets called “Clean Meat”, which symbolizes the way they were created. Uma argues that large industrial companies are seriously interested in laboratory meat. Production of natural chicken / beef / pork every year becomes more costly and ineffective. Nuggets from Memphis Meats are now worth about 1000 $. The faster the technology spreads around the world, the cheaper the final cost of the product will be.
Research problems
The direction, which specializes in the cultivation of meat products, has developed from the field of biotechnology, or rather, tissue engineering. The direction is developing simultaneously with other industries that are associated with biotechnology. The main obstacle faced by scientists is the reduction in the cost of the finished product. But that’s not all, the full list includes:
- The rate of reproduction of muscle cells. Scientists have long learned to divide stem cells, but for the industrial production of meat it is necessary that they share much faster.
- Culture of the biological environment. The environment in which cells will develop is different for each individual organism. For example, fish and sheep need a completely different nutrient medium. To establish mass production, it is necessary to identify and test nutrient media for all livestock.
- Ecology. The question is still vague and poorly understood.
- Welfare of livestock. The biological material that is necessary for the development of muscle tissue must be synthesized without animals, otherwise there is absolutely no point in artificial meat. An exception is a one-time collection of material for obtaining stem cells.
- Cell integrity To get a quality cut from muscle cells, oxygen and nutrients are needed. In the body of a living animal, blood vessels do this. Scientists have created a special matrix that fills the cells and promotes their growth. But the search for the most effective bioreactor is still underway.
- Safety for humans. There is a chance that synthetic meat will become an aggressive allergen for some groups of consumers. Allergies can even be caused by the plant environment in which the cell will develop.
What is the difference between artificial meat and ordinary meat?
Taste
It is almost impossible to distinguish a cultured steak from a natural one. Regardless of the characteristics of the cut, synthetic meat is absolutely identical to the usual one. Its appearance also does not raise questions. The only non-critical difference is the texture. Test-tube meat is softer and more tender than natural meat, but this is more of an advantage than a disadvantage.
Consumers claim that the characteristics of cultured meat are completely identical to thawed cuts. It is poorly marinated and absorbs different tastes, but is great for eating and creating versatile dishes.
With the network Whole Foods, which implements both vegetable (based on vegetable protein), and natural meat, an incident has happened. Workers accidentally packaged ready-made artificial chicken meat in a package for natural. For several weeks, that consumers bought meat from a test tube instead of the usual, the company did not receive any complaints or questions. Consumers simply did not notice the substitution, which means that synthetic meat is quite edible.
Quality
Scientists assume that the production of an artificial product on an industrial scale will pull an increase in chemical additives and artificial hormones. Note that in the production of natural cuts such measures are excluded. Moreover, there is still no precise plan for the development of industrial meat production without the use of antibiotics. Antibiotics are necessary to prevent infections and block possible pathogens. Without their use, there is a high risk of infection through food.
The test tube meat has not yet entered the market for two reasons:
- unfinished technology;
- high cost.
The main goal of scientists is to create a product that will be of higher quality and more useful than what is already on the market, so there is no need to rush with the launch. The first thing to decide is the percentage of fat. In a natural cut, a high concentration of saturated fats, which leads to an increase in the level of bad cholesterol, obesity, heart and vascular diseases. In artificial meat, the issue of fat must be resolved or reduced to the minimum possible. Scientists are considering the idea of artificially introducing omega-3s during cultivation. This idea is analogous to feeding animals special nutritious foods based on vitamins, beneficial nutrients and fatty acids prior to slaughter.
Ecology
The environmentally friendly artificial meat has caused a wave of discussions. For example, journalist Brendan Corner and a number of patent holders for synthetic products are confident that they are protecting the environment. Production of synthetic meat requires less resources, minimal greenhouse gas emissions and practically does not produce waste.
Union of Concerned Scientists has its own opinion on this. Margaret Mellon, one of the representatives of the union, believes that the industrial production of artificial meat cuts will require much more energy and fuel than traditional technologies. She believes that the new method will be destructive and will lead to a residual collapse of the ecological balance.
Accurately determine on whose side the truth is impossible. In 2011, a study was conducted, according to which the production of synthetic meat requires:
- 7-45% less energy;
- 99% less industrial land;
- 82% less fluid;
- generates 78% less greenhouse gas emissions.
But at the time of the study there were no industrial production technologies. The experiments were based on a hypothetical production process.
Economy
Today, until synthetic meat is on the shelves of stores, its cost is high: about 1 million dollars per 250 gram of artificial beef. To equate this exorbitant value to the real market, investment and the widespread use of technology are needed. Technological advances can also cut costs. As soon as the technology of growing muscle tissue will be improved and optimized, the cost of meat will fall sharply.