Scientists have presented the world’s first burger made from lab-grown meat. The artificial meat is expected to help reduce environmental damage and save resources. Researchers from Maastricht University in the Netherlands have successfully grown artificial beef muscle tissue in a petri dish. They have processed 20,000 thin strands of the tissue into a patty, which was presented in London on Monday. The burger was tasted by US food author Josh Schonwald and Austrian food researcher Hanni Rützler. Rützler commented that she had expected the artificial meat to be softer, but it was close to natural meat in texture, although not as juicy. The researchers added salt, egg powder, breadcrumbs, beetroot juice and saffron to make the meat look and taste like a fresh, homemade burger.
The high consumption of meat, at 42.5 kilograms per person per year, is causing immense environmental damage. Around a quarter of the world’s food crops are used to feed animals rather than people. Scientists have calculated that if humans stopped eating meat, global food production would be able to feed an additional four billion people. However, growing artificial meat in a lab is not easy. Researchers in several Dutch universities have been trying to grow artificial meat for many years, with the state providing around €2m in funding. The first breakthrough came in 2009, when researchers grew a small piece of meat in a petri dish.
The development of lab-grown meat is expected to help reduce the environmental impact of meat production, which is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. It is also expected to help reduce the amount of land and water used in meat production. However, the cost of producing lab-grown meat is still high, and it is not yet clear whether it will be commercially viable. Nevertheless, the development of lab-grown meat is an important step towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly food system.
