Are we one step closer to growing meat?
December 12, 2011
Filed under Lifestyle
Professor Mark Post from the Department of Vascular Physiology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands has been given an estimated $420 000 to make a hamburger. Well, admittedly, it’s not as simple as that. The catch? He has to grow it in a laboratory.
Post is hoping to prove that there is a way of producing meat that removes the need for animal husbandry altogether – in-vitro!
Instead of getting meat from animals raised in pastures, Post will harvest a number of cells called myosatellites ‒ a form of muscle stem cells that are normally used by the body to repair damaged muscle. If the experiment is successful, the resulting technology will transform the way food is produced. Said Post in an interview with BBC News Technology: “We want to turn meat production from a farming process to a factory process.” A stem cell is a special type of cell capable of replicating itself and differentiating into specialised cell types, such as muscle cells. It is believed that this approach has the greatest potential, because one embryonic stem cell, correctly controlled, could potentially produce many tons of meat. The accelerating rate of global population growth could mean that soon farms will not be able to produce enough meat to feed everyone. The UN forecasts that meat consumption will double by 2050. Added to this, around 80% of all farmland is devoted to meat production, and cattle consume around 10% of the world’s fresh water supplies. Farming for meat is a costly process, while in-vitro meat will require 99% less land than beef farming. Then there is the critical issue of environmental damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions from livestock. Livestock farming accounts for around 18% of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions ‒ greater than emissions due to transport. Breeding animals for meat is also considered inefficient and damaging to the environment. Then there is the emotional need. Post is quoted as saying: “I think everybody knows subconsciously that the way we produce meat is not sustainable and isn’t friendly to animals.” Animal-rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animal (PETA) shares his sentiments. It has announced a $1 million prize for the first company to bring synthetic meat to shops in at least six US states by 2016. If successful, Post’s work will change the world fundamentally. “It’s a bit like magic,” he said. Only one question remains: what will it taste like? If you’re interested in Professor Post’s work, watch his video on TEDx Brainport. http://tedx.vpro.nl/brainport-2011/event/Mark-Post.html
Post is hoping to prove that there is a way of producing meat that removes the need for animal husbandry altogether – in-vitro!
Instead of getting meat from animals raised in pastures, Post will harvest a number of cells called myosatellites ‒ a form of muscle stem cells that are normally used by the body to repair damaged muscle. If the experiment is successful, the resulting technology will transform the way food is produced. Said Post in an interview with BBC News Technology: “We want to turn meat production from a farming process to a factory process.” A stem cell is a special type of cell capable of replicating itself and differentiating into specialised cell types, such as muscle cells. It is believed that this approach has the greatest potential, because one embryonic stem cell, correctly controlled, could potentially produce many tons of meat. The accelerating rate of global population growth could mean that soon farms will not be able to produce enough meat to feed everyone. The UN forecasts that meat consumption will double by 2050. Added to this, around 80% of all farmland is devoted to meat production, and cattle consume around 10% of the world’s fresh water supplies. Farming for meat is a costly process, while in-vitro meat will require 99% less land than beef farming. Then there is the critical issue of environmental damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions from livestock. Livestock farming accounts for around 18% of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions ‒ greater than emissions due to transport. Breeding animals for meat is also considered inefficient and damaging to the environment. Then there is the emotional need. Post is quoted as saying: “I think everybody knows subconsciously that the way we produce meat is not sustainable and isn’t friendly to animals.” Animal-rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animal (PETA) shares his sentiments. It has announced a $1 million prize for the first company to bring synthetic meat to shops in at least six US states by 2016. If successful, Post’s work will change the world fundamentally. “It’s a bit like magic,” he said. Only one question remains: what will it taste like? If you’re interested in Professor Post’s work, watch his video on TEDx Brainport. http://tedx.vpro.nl/brainport-2011/event/Mark-Post.html
|
|
Loading ...