"Test Tube" Meat

This past summer, in August 2013, the first lab-grown (or created) hamburger patty was produced and eaten in London, England. Dutch scientist, Mark Post, created the phenomenon at the Institute in the Netherlands, and believes it could revolutionize the global meat industry. However, the 142-gram patty, which took three months to cultivate, checks in at $330,000 (£250,000). The (previously) mystery supporter of the project has been revealed as Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who contributed the total amount necessary for the experiment. So now the question is, will this innovation actually be a viable option in the future or was this experiment a one-time ordeal? 

The burger was sauteed by chef Richard McGeown, and tasted by food critics Hanni Reutzler and Josh Schonwald. Though the reviews were not resoundingly positive, they were not negative by any means; one critic said that the taste was close to meat, the consistency was perfect, but the patty was not as juicy as traditional meat, the other said there was a "leanness" to the burger (due to the lack of fat content) that was atypical of other meat products. They both agreed that this was a very good start to growing meat in a nontraditional manner. Watch a video of the tasting, and some responses to the burger patty.

The patty was grown from stem cells extracted from a live cow's muscle tissue. The cells were cultured in the lab with nutrients as well as growth-promoting chemicals allowing them to not only develop, but also multiply. Within three weeks there was an excess of one million stem cells, which were transferred to smaller dishes where they congealed into small strips of muscle (about one centimeter long and several millimeters thick). These strips were collected, frozen and, when there were finally enough, compacted into a patty shape just prior to cooking. As is right now, the meat grown is white in color; for this trial run the meat was dyed with beet juice and saffron powder to imitate natural meat's coloring. Researcher, Helen Breewood, is looking into adding naturally-occurring myoglobin to developing meat to give it a red color.       

This could be a viable alternative to large-scale feedlots and the general mistreatment of animals as well as the negative environmental impacts that come with traditional farming practices. Though it is still in its testing phase, it promises to be a hopeful alternative. To meet growing food demands we do not need to simply produce more meat, but change the systems in which our food is grown and distributed. "Test tube" meat has been deemed repulsive at first, but if we consider how our meat is raised traditionally this seems to be a far less repulsive alternative. It has supporters like PETA, which states, "[Lab-grown meat] will spell the end of lorries full of cows and chickens, abattoirs and factory farming. It will reduce carbon emissions, conserve water and make the food supply safer." But critics of the innovation say that eating less meat overall could lead to fewer food shortages and do not believe this is a technology to be pursued. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's report on the future of agriculture also indicates that the predicted demand for meat in developing countries like China and Brazil has already happened, and other nations like India remain steady with their mostly vegetarian diets. But with meat socially engrained in many cultures, we are not likely to see the end of meat consumption any time soon; thus, if solely for environmental reasons this is something to work toward.   

Sources:

1.) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23576143

2.) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2384715/At-tastes-meat--Worlds-test-tube-artificial-beef-Googleburger-gets-GOOD-review-eaten-time.html