New study makes surprising discovery about common skin care product: 'Aiding in tissue development'

Those who have had the unfortunate experience of getting a sunburn know to turn to the aloe vera plant to alleviate some of the pain.

While we typically think of aloe vera for its skincare applications, new research shows that it might be an effective medium to cultivate meat products.

A study published in the journal Science of Food, detailed by Vegconomist, found that aloe vera could be used to grow bovine fat tissue.

Cultivated meat can also be known as lab-grown meat. It's produced by growing animal cells in a lab, creating the fats, muscles, and tissues without the need to kill an animal to consume them.

The research team's innovation can help the industry make cultivated meat for lower cost and more sustainably.

Part of the aloe vera plant, aloe vera parenchymal cellulose, can grow bovine fat cells. It is a byproduct of what is produced from aloe vera in the skincare and food industries.

According to Vegconomist, "Aloe vera cellulose supports cell growth by retaining moisture, promoting cell attachment, and aiding in tissue development."

Researchers added oleic acid, a naturally occurring fatty acid in many plant and animal fats, to the cellulose. This created lipids that mimic bovine fat. This is important to preserve the taste and texture when creating cultivated meat alternatives.

This process can lower costs as it uses inexpensive byproducts, and the research shows that this process is scalable.

In 2023, the United States became the second country to allow cultivated meat to be sold in stores. The FDA found that it is safe to eat, even if the thought of growing it in a lab may be scary at first.

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Because no animals are killed in the process, cultivated meats offer consumers another choice if they have concerns about the treatment of animals involved in meat production.

Beyond concerns over animal welfare, eating a plant-based diet can help the planet. According to the United Nations, about one-third of planet-warming gas pollution comes from our food systems. Of that, roughly 60% comes from meat production, as a study published in the Nature Food journal, summarized by The Guardian, shared.

According to the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, "the meat industry also has a significant impact on global warming." This is not only because of the pollution involved in production but also because of the land use and deforestation related to raising livestock.

Reducing our production of meat will also reduce air pollution, water pollution, and soil erosion. Cell-cultivated meats can help us keep the nutritional values of meats while avoiding the negative environmental impacts.

For these environmental impacts to really take shape, cultivated meats will need to be produced at a larger scale. Scalable innovations like this study of growing meat from aloe vera byproducts can help move us toward a greener, cooler planet.

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