Lab-Grown Meat
Edited by Rachel Heung
Photo from Firn/Shutterstock
Lab-grown meat or cultured meat is meat made in laboratories. The idea was first thought of by Willem van Eelen, a Dutch researcher, in the 1950s. Professor Mark Post, a Dutch scientist from Maastricht University, Netherlands, developed the first cultured meat in 2013. The first burger made with lab-grown beef was prepared by Chef Richard McGeown, also in 2013. The first four cultured meat companies were founded two years later in 2015.
As mentioned before, cultured meat is made in laboratories, but using animal cells. This method of production has many advantages, including the unnecessary procedure of killing animals, instead only causing momentary discomfort. Assessments conclude that cultured meat will use significantly less resources; release less greenhouse gases; and reduce pollution.
The process of cultured meat starts with the extraction of cells from animals. This process is not painful, only causing a quick moment of discomfort. The cells are then introduced to many nutrients where the number of cells multiply. Cells used in the production of cultured meat are called stem cells - cells capable of replacing themselves and differentiate into specialised cells. Specific stem cells can be used for different purposes; for example, cells from mammary glands can be used for milk production. Another example is scaffolding, it is a structure that cultured meat is grown onto. There are three types of scaffolding: Natural-made of natural materials, of course; Synthetic- made of synthetic polymers; and composite- made from inorganic materials and synthetic polymers. 2-8 weeks is the estimated time at which this process needs to be completed.
Singapore was the first to approve of cultured meat for sale. It can be found in markets there. The United States, China, as well as Israel are both ready for lab-grown meat to be on shelves as soon as they get approval.
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