Thanks to South Korean scientists beefing up the flavor of cultured meat, you probably won't be able to taste the difference between lab-grown meat and the real thing.
As Interesting Engineering reported, researchers have been working to make lab-grown meat more palatable and have recently achieved a breakthrough with a "grilled beef flavor" infusion. While the meat resembles a strange, pink Jell-O-like patty, scientists believe it has huge potential to revolutionize the meat industry.
Lab-grown meat is made by taking cell samples from an animal and cultivating them on "scaffolds," which are 3D structures that allow the cells to multiply and support tissue growth.
Eating meat grown in a lab may sound like something from a futuristic movie, but it's on its way to becoming reality. The U.S. approved the sale of slaughter-free cultured meat in June 2023, giving the green light for two California food technology startups — Upside Foods and Good Meat — to start selling "chickenless" chicken, per the Associated Press.
The AP reported that one of Good Meat's products was available in Singapore, but cultivated meat hasn't hit store shelves yet in the U.S. One reason for this is that it's pretty expensive to make, and labs haven't been able to scale up the process to meet demand.
Aside from these issues, getting consumers excited about eating cell-based meat is another challenge, especially when it's such a foreign concept for most people. But the South Korean scientists believe their lab-grown meat, which tastes like it's fresh off the grill, could provide stiff competition.
"Flavor is the most important thing to make cultured meat be accepted as real," Milae Lee, a co-author of the research and a Ph.D. student at Yonsei University, told CNN (via Interesting Engineering).
"Of course, it is not 100 percent identical to the conventional meat, but it has a meaty flavor and texture," Lee told BBC Science Focus.
Interesting Engineering explained that the team introduced flavor compounds into a gelatin-based hydrogel to achieve the meaty taste and heated it to release the savory flavors. The flavor can even be adjusted to taste more like a juicy ribeye steak rather than charred beef.
Lab-grown beef tastes like the real deal, and it has all the same nutrition since it's grown with animal cells. However, it doesn't involve animal cruelty or negative environmental impacts associated with the meat industry. It's truly the best of both worlds.
According to a United Nations-backed study, over one-third of all planet-warming pollution from human activity comes from our food systems. Furthermore, meat accounts for nearly 60% of this pollution, per a study published in Nature Food.
Cell-based meat could provide a more eco-friendly way to consume animal products while also benefiting human health.
While the South Korean scientists' cultured meat needs some fine-tuning before it's ready for launch, the team is confident its innovation can shake up the beef industry.
"We believe that we can make significant contributions to the development of cultured meat which can eventually benefit the global society," Lee told BBC Science Focus.
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