Scientists create test tube burger grown in a laboratory... but would you really want to eat it?
- Hamburger built from strands of beef muscle tissue grown in a laboratory
- Will be served at special event in London next month
- Burger consists of about 20,000 thin strips of cultured muscle tissue
Test-tube meat has moved a step closer to supermarket shelves after a scientist produced a burger from muscle tissue grown in a laboratory.
It promises to be kinder to the environment, reduce animal suffering, and solve the problem of food crises - but will people want to eat it?
The meat was produced in huge vats from muscle cells by Dr Mark Post, from the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands.
Samples of the in-vitro meat, or cultured meat grown in a laboratory at the University of Maastricht. Other non-meat ingredients include salt, egg powder, and breadcrumbs. Red beetroot juice and saffron are added to provide authentic beef colouring
Scientists are cooking up new ways of feeding the world's ever growing hunger for meat that could save the environment and the lives of millions of animals
Dutch scientist Professor Mark Post examines samples of in-vitro meat grown in his lab. In-vitro meat or cultured meat is an animal flesh product that has never been part of a complete, living animal
The hamburger, built from strands of beef muscle tissue grown in a laboratory and to be cooked and eaten at an event in London is meant to prove to the world — including potential research fund donors — that so-called in-Vitro meat, or cultured meat, is a reality.
His work is funded by the Dutch government, as well as an anonymous donation of 300,000 euros - but it remains to be seen, however, whether the pioneering development will find favour with a public that likes to think of its chops, steaks and sausages as having their roots in nature, rather than in test-tubes.
His burger consists of about 20,000 thin strips of cultured muscle tissue, the New York Times reported.
Dr Post, who has conducted some informal taste tests, said that even without any fat, the tissue 'tastes reasonably good.'
The world's first test-tube burger, made from lab-grown meat, is being cooked and eaten in London today. The 142g patty cost £250,000 to produce and is made from 20,000 strips of meat grown from cow stem cells. This image is of a traditional burger made from beef. Pictures of the test-tube burger have not been released yet
The burger consists of about 20,000 thin strips of cultured muscle tissue and tastes 'reasonably good' (not pictured)
He plans to dish it up at an event in London next month - adding only salt and pepper for flavour.
The cell-grown burger is produced with materials — including fetal calf serum, which used to grow the cells — that will eventually be replaced by materials not orginating from animals, the New York Times reported.
In-vitro meat or cultured meat is an animal flesh product that has never been part of a complete, living animal, and is quite different from imitation meat or meat substitutes, which are vegetarian foods made from vegetable proteins like soy
Dr Post has all but promised that meat will soon be grown in his lab.
Manufactured cultured meat could be sold next to animal meat for a competitive price - but experts claim this development is far into the future.
'This is still an early-stage technology,' said Neil Stephens, a social scientist at Cardiff University in Wales told the NYT.
Scientists continue to make developments with test tubes.
Some have come a step closer to replacing missing teeth with implants grown from stem cells.
Researchers succeeded in engineering hybrid human-mouse teeth coated in enamel with developing roots.
the future, it is hoped the work will lead to dentures being replaced
by real substitute molars grown from 'seeds' planted into a patient's
The technique involved growing cells from human gum tissue and combining them with tooth stem cells from mouse embryos.
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