Scientists Vie to Produce First Test-Tube Meat
Researchers presenting at the American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS) 2012 Annual Meeting in Vancouver, B.C., have announced two
new ways to produce synthetic meat, significantly upping the ante in what
AAAS describes as a potentially lucrative industry.
The first approach pioneered by Stanford University biochemist Patrick Brown
reportedly uses plant material to create meat substitutes and may also serve
as dairy products. Noting that grazing requires extensive land and energy use,
Brown explained to AAAS attendees that “yields from the world’s four major
food plant crops—corn, wheat, rice, and soybeans—already provide more
than enough protein and amino acids for the world population.”
Meanwhile, a Dutch team led by Maastricht University Professor Mark Post
has taken a different tack, “gradually transforming” cow stem cells “into tissues
that resemble the skeletal muscle that makes up steak or hamburger.” The
scientists apparently aim to produce the first lab-grown hamburger by the
end of 2012 and anticipate that future applications will use approximately 40
percent less energy “than traditional livestock production.”
“If we can raise the efficiency from 15 to 50 percent by growing meat in the
lab, that would be a tremendous leap forward,” said Post. Although the current
iteration will most likely taste “bland,” the team aims to refine its methods toward replicating the meat components that give beef its actual flavor. To this end, an unnamed financier who donated approximately $330,000 to the project has evidently pledged to contribute further funds once the proof-of-concept burger is unveiled. See AAAS Press Release and Financial Times, February 19, 2012.
