World's first lab-grown burger is now ready to be served!

Image
Press Trust of India London
Last Updated : Aug 05 2013 | 5:20 PM IST
The world's first lab-grown burger, with an estimated cost of 215,000 pounds, will be unveiled and tasted for the first time at a news conference here.
Scientists said initial sampling suggests the burger will not taste great, but it is expected to be "good enough".
Researchers took cells from a cow and, at an institute in the Netherlands, turned them into strips of muscle which they combined to make a patty.
They claim the technology could be a sustainable way of meeting what they say is a growing demand for meat, 'BBC News' reported.
"Later today we are going to present the world's first hamburger made in a lab from cells. We are doing that because livestock production is not good for the environment, it is not going to meet demand for the world and it is not good for animals," said Professor Mark Post of Maastricht University, the scientist behind the burger.
Post's technique involves stem cells extracted from cow muscle tissue. In the laboratory, these are cultured with nutrients and growth promoting chemicals to help them develop and multiply.
Three weeks later, there are more than a million stem cells which are put into smaller dishes where they coalesce into small strips of muscle about a centimetre long and a few millimetres thick.
These strips are collected into small pellets which are frozen. When there are enough, they are defrosted and compacted into a patty just before being cooked.
The scientists have tried to make the meat - which is initially white in colour - as authentic as possible.
It is the job of Helen Breewood, who is working with Post, to make the lab-grown muscle look red by adding the naturally occurring compound myoglobin.
"If it doesn't look like normal meat, if it doesn't taste like normal meat, it's not going to be a viable replacement," Breewood told the BBC.
Currently, this is a work in progress. The burger to be revealed today will be coloured red with beetroot juice. The researchers have also added breadcrumbs, caramel and saffron, to add to the taste.
Breewood, a vegetarian herself, said she would eat lab-grown meat.
"A lot of people consider lab-grown meat repulsive at first. But if they consider what goes into producing normal meat in a slaughter house I think they would also find that repulsive," she said.
"[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," according to a statement by animal welfare campaigners People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta).
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Aug 05 2013 | 5:20 PM IST

Next Story