Home Trees and shrubs Meat grown in a test tube. Food of the future: how to make artificial meat that is better than the present. Synthetic meat - benefits and harms

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Meat grown in a test tube. Food of the future: how to make artificial meat that is better than the present. Synthetic meat - benefits and harms

March 3rd, 2017

If earlier cool meat was vegetarian meat - soy (I remember how I fried cutlets from minced soy), now artificial meat is actively promoted.

In 2013, biologist Mark Post of the University of Maastricht created the world's first burger made from test-tube-grown meat. The production of the product cost $ 325,000. The development of technology has lowered this price many times, and today a kilogram of artificial meat costs $ 80, and one burger costs $ 11. Thus, in four years the price has decreased by almost 30,000 times. However, scientists still have work to do. As of November 2016, a pound of ground beef cost $ 3.6, nearly 10 times cheaper than test-tube meat.

However, scientists and meat startups believe that in 5-10 years, artificial meatballs and hamburgers will be sold in stores at a reasonable price.

According to Next Big Future, there are at least 6 companies developing artificial animal products. Hi-tech has already written about Memphis Meats, a startup that plans to start selling test-tube meatballs in 2-5 years, and is also going to grow steaks and chicken breasts in the laboratory.

Israeli startup SuperMeat cultivates kosher chicken livers, US-based Clara Foods synthesizes egg whites, and Perfect Day Foods creates non-animal dairy products. Finally, Mosa Meat, the creator of the first artificial meat burger, Mark Post, promises to start selling laboratory beef in the next 4-5 years.

How artificial meat is made

Meat is muscle. Growing muscles in a test tube involves obtaining animal stem cells (only required once), creating conditions for their accelerated growth and division.
It is necessary to supply oxygen and other nutrients to the cells; in animals, this task is performed by blood vessels. In laboratory conditions, bioreactors are created, where a matrix sponge is formed, in which meat cells grow, enriched with oxygen and removing waste.

There are two types of artificial meat:
- unbound muscle cells;
- muscles, meat in the structure we are accustomed to (here the formation of fibers is required, which complicates the process, since the cells must remain in certain places, this is what a sponge in the bioreactor is needed for, and muscles must also be exercised for growth).

History

Churchill is credited with the phrase he said back in 1930: "In fifty years, we will not be absurdly raising a whole chicken to eat only breasts or wings, but we will grow these parts separately in a suitable environment."

In 1969, American writer Frank Herbert, author of Dune, in his book Whipping Star, talked about pseudoflesh: cattle are raised for food. " Other science fiction writers have also mentioned test-tube meat, such as H. Beam Piper and Larry Niven.

The Dutch scientist Willem van Helen is unofficially considered to be the "father" and main inspirer of the technology for producing "meat from a test tube". During the Second World War, he spent several years in Japanese captivity, constantly suffering from a lack of food, and, apparently, this circumstance aroused in him further interest in this topic.

The first post-war experiments with growing meat were carried out with goldfish cells (the results were presented to the public in 2000).
On a large-scale track, the study of the issue began thanks to the study of space. NASA tried to find solutions for a long-term and renewable power source for astronauts, for long-term flights, in the 1990s, and already in 2001, experiments on raising turkey meat began.

Research in this area is being conducted in the USA, Holland, Norway.

In 2009, Dutch scientists announced that they were able to raise pork.

Not a single animal was harmed

In the summer of 2013, the results of large-scale experiments carried out since October 2011 within the framework of the Cultured Beef program at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands by the head of the Department of Cardiovascular Physiology, Professor Mark Post and his colleagues, were presented in London.

To grow muscle tissue, Professor Post decided to take not embryonic cells, the development of which can be unpredictable, but myosatellites. These are stem cells that are found in mammalian muscle and become muscle tissue as a result of intense exercise. After full-fledged cells grew from the myosatellites in the nutrient solution, muscle fibers began to form from them. For this, the cells were placed in special water-soluble polymer frameworks, which not only connected them, but mechanically provided the fibers with a state of tension, which forced the tissue to grow.

At the initial stage, scientists also used electrical stimulation to "exercise" muscle fibers, but it was soon noticed that it did not bring the desired effect. In addition, the procedure was deemed too expensive for industrial production.

The fibers of the muscle tissue turned out to be rather short, otherwise it could be difficult to supply cells with nutrients and oxygen. This problem has yet to be solved by creating a modified analogue of the blood supply system. Difficulties arose with the creation of adipose tissue, but scientists assure that in the future they will be able to eliminate them.

As a result, the experimenters got a hamburger containing about 140 grams of cultured meat from 20 thousand muscle fibers. The color and taste of the product are still far from the usual, there is a lack of fat and dryness of the meat. To give laboratory beef its usual presentation, it was tinted with beetroot juice and saffron before cooking.

Despite the fact that the first experience did not cause much enthusiasm, the scientists are very encouraged. At the very least, it was possible to prove that people are able to artificially create meat suitable for eating. According to the project participants, synthesized meat is an inevitable future, and not a single animal will be harmed!

“We showed how this happens, now we have to attract sponsors and work on improving the technology,” emphasizes Mark Post. “And of course, we need a meat processing plant that will be the first to master its commercial use.”

By the way, the organization PETA (People for the Responsible Treatment of Animals) has offered a prize of one million dollars to the first company to supply synthetic meat to stores in at least six American states by 2016.

In vitro meat will save the world

The idea of creating meat in the laboratory, in fact, growing the muscle tissue of an animal instead of replacing it with soy or other sources of protein, has been discussed for decades. There are many arguments in its favor - first of all, overcoming the threat of world hunger in the future, protecting animals and the environment.

“Feeding the world is a daunting task. I don't think people even understand what impact meat consumption has on our planet, ”said Ken Cook, one of the initiators of the Cultured Beef project and founder of the influential American environmental organization EWG. - About 18% of greenhouse gases are produced by the meat industry. In total, we use about 1,900 liters of water to get just a pound of meat. In the United States, 70% of antibiotics are not consumed by humans, but by animals raised on large farms and kept in extreme cramped conditions. Eating such meat, a person puts himself in danger: he may develop cancer or serious heart disease - the risk increases by 20% due to the substances contained in animal fat. In addition, 70% of the fertile land in the United States is used to provide food for cattle. If this land were used to grow vegetables and fruits, we could feed more people and provide them with healthier food. By 2050, global meat consumption will double. We just can no longer continue to do what we do now. All that remains is to change the way meat is produced. ”

As the deputy director for scientific work of VNIIMP, doctor of technical sciences, professor Anastasia Semyonova said, by 2050 the earth's population is projected to grow to 9.1 billion people, the bulk of which will be in developing countries. In order to feed itself, humanity will have to increase food production by 70% or more, and the total meat production should reach 470 million tons, which is 200 million tons higher than today's figures. “Given the constant growth of urbanization and the level of income of the population, the production of meat in vitro for the meat processing industry is of undoubted interest,” she stressed. “For example, this type of meat can be more attractive in the manufacture of restructured products. Fast food restaurants will be one of the first enterprises to be able to use in vitro meat. In addition, the use of this technology will reduce the amount of waste, CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and resolve ethical issues arising from the slaughter of animals. "

Indeed, the advantages of artificial meat over natural ones are obvious:

1. Security.

The test tube meat will be absolutely clean. This almost completely eliminates the risk of human infection with bird and swine flu, rabies, salmonella. It will be possible to regulate the fat content in meat, which will reduce the number of heart diseases.

2. Savings.

For the production of 1 kg of poultry, pork and beef, 2, 4 and 7 kg of grain are needed, respectively. Not to mention the time spent raising livestock. Obviously, in this case, there is no question of any savings and efficiency.

In laboratory conditions, meat can be grown as much as needed for consumption, and not an ounce more. This will save natural resources and feed required for raising animals and birds.

According to the calculations presented in 2011 by scientists from Oxford and Amsterdam Universities Hanna L. Tuomisto and M. Jost Teixeira de Mattus, in the future, in vitro meat growing technology will reduce energy consumption per unit of production by 35-60% and reduce land area. required for production, by 98%.

3. Ecology.

Many have criticized the overall cost of traditional farming methods used to raise farm animals. When you look at the resource intensity of everything that is needed to create a hamburger, it is tantamount to the environmental impact of a train wreck.

Traditional livestock farming strongly influences the rate of global warming. A 2011 study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology shows that full-scale production of artificially cultured meat could significantly reduce water, arable land and energy costs, methane and other greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional farming and slaughtering. Overall, according to Mark Post, synthetic meat can reduce environmental impact by up to 60%.

At the same time, in the short term, environmental arguments will only gain strength - with the growth of the middle class in China and other countries, the demand for meat increases.

4. Humanity.

Animal protection groups, including PETA, have readily supported the idea of creating meat in the laboratory, since its production eliminates the exploitation and killing of livestock and poultry.

“Instead of killing millions and billions of animals like we do now, we could just clone a few cells to make hamburgers or chops,” says Ingrid Newkirk, president and co-founder of PETA.

5. Commercial benefits.

Artificial meat will have advantages over conventional meat, including cost. Like any other technology, during the industrial production stage, the cost should eventually decrease to commercially viable. If the process is built efficiently, there is no reason not to make the product cheaper - it can be done with the right materials, recycling and automation.

It is true that the process of growing one hamburger from bovine stem cells costs hundreds of thousands of dollars or euros (as of 2010 - 1 million dollars for 250 g), but soon everything may change. As the price of animal feed continues to rise and the unit costs of pork and beef are too high, the industry will soon have to rethink how meat is produced and how efficiently it is.

As a result, literally in a few years, enterprises will begin to introduce technologies for artificial cultivation of meat, and the new product will compete with the traditional version.

Commercial livestock raising is very harmful to the environment. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it takes 2,500 liters of water to produce a single hamburger, and cows are considered the main source of methane, which enhances the greenhouse effect. Laboratory meat, even using animal cells, will significantly reduce the harmful effects on the environment. One turkey can produce enough cells to produce 20 trillion nuggets.

Hannah Tuomisto, an agroecologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, estimates that producing beef in a laboratory setting will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90% and land use by 99%. In contrast, Carolyn Mattik of the University of Arizona believes that artificial production will do more harm to the environment. According to her calculations, the creation of chicken meat in laboratories with all the necessary nutrients will require more energy than raising chickens.

sources

About a third of the land is used for raising cattle. The livestock sector generates up to 15% of greenhouse gases and uses billions of tons of fresh water every year. At the same time, the livestock often suffers from diseases, and the consumer runs the risk of encountering salmonella, Escherichia coli and other infectious pathogens from time to time. According to scientists, only artificial meat can save the constantly growing population and the environment.

The first experiments to create meat from a test tube were carried out by NASA in 2001. Then scientists managed to grow a product similar to a fish fillet from the cells of a goldfish. At the end of 2009, Dutch biotechnologists have grown a meat product from the cells of a live pig. After another 4 years in London, a cutlet was fried from artificially grown meat, which in texture and taste was reminiscent of beef.

It is important

It is not worth confusing imitation meat and synthetically grown product. In the first case, tempeh, soy texturate and spices are used as a meat substitute, and in the second, we are dealing with real meat grown in a laboratory. Imitation meat is similar to a natural product only in taste, while biotechnology allows you to get real minced meat without killing anyone.

How is artificial meat made?

The technology for growing synthetic meat can be divided into two stages:

Stem cell collection;
creating conditions for their cultivation and division.

After collection, the stem cells are placed in a bioreactor, where a special matrix sponge is created, in which the future meat grows. During the growth process, cells are abundantly supplied with oxygen and nutrients necessary for rapid growth. Since farmed meat is muscle tissue, biotechnologists create special conditions for training cells and the fibers formed from them.

Currently, scientists have learned how to produce two types of meat in a test tube:

Unconnected muscle cells (a kind of meat slurry);
cells connected into interconnected fibers (a more complex technology that provides the familiar structure of meat).

Synthetic meat - benefits and harms

In the United States alone, according to the environmental organization EWG, up to 70% of antibiotics produced are used for keeping animals. Most of them end up in our stomachs along with the meat we eat. Test-tube meat is free from such disadvantages, since it is produced under sterile conditions. Together with the drug threat, the risks of contracting dangerous diseases are greatly reduced, the causative agents of which, despite all the checks, can be contained in any piece of meat. In addition, experts are already talking about the possibility of regulating the fat content of the final product, which will make it possible to create "healthy" meat.

Also, the benefit of artificial meat is to conserve natural resources. Scientists from the Universities of Amsterdam and Oxford have calculated that in the future, the technology under consideration will reduce production space by 98%, and energy consumption and environmental impact by 60%.

As for the possible side effects of switching to synthetic meat, it is too early to talk about them. At the moment, not a single clinical study has been conducted to prove the harm of this product.

Artificial meat market - development prospects

According to the EWG, by 2050 the world consumption of meat products will double. Sooner or later, modern methods of meat production will not be able to meet the increasing demand. Therefore, humanity has no choice but to follow the path of growing laboratory beef and pork on an industrial scale.

The production of the first artificial burger cost scientists $ 320,000. Today its price has dropped 30,000 times to $ 11. The hour is not far off when a synthetic cutlet with an ideal protein and fat content will cost less than a cutlet made from ordinary minced meat. From that moment on, the development of the industry will no longer be stopped.

In the process of its development, special attention was paid to such indicators as appearance, texture and taste. The general concept was to create a vegetable product with the juiciness, aroma and fiberiness of real meat.

It is expected that the consumers of "vegetarian meat" will be predominantly vegetarians, the number of which is growing every day. Also, the product is aimed at allergy sufferers, for whom the consumption of meat is a practice that is incompatible with the state of health.

At the moment, specialists from the University of Wageningen and 11 small enterprises working in the field of food production are engaged in product development. A prototype of a mini-workshop for the production of "vegetable meat" has already been created, where sheets of meat 1 cm thick are successfully produced with their further transformation into cutlets, chops, etc. The mini-factory is capable of producing up to 70 kg of product per hour of work.

The Japanese have learned to synthesize meat from feces

A rather extravagant way of producing meat was discovered in Japan. Mitsuyuki Ikeda, while working on the problem of processing sewage from the Tokyo sewer network, discovered bacteria that have the ability to convert sewage into proteins. By adding proteins, soy, dye, and a reaction enhancer to them, a scientist from Okayama's lab made a meat product. Its nutritional value is determined by:

25% carbohydrates
63% protein
3% fat
9% minerals

It may seem to an ordinary person that the number of people wishing to taste such a product was zero. But no, in the Land of the Rising Sun there was a whole group of volunteers who expressed a desire to try shitburgers (as the Japanese call them). The product received a positive rating.

It is noted that its taste makes it practically indistinguishable from real meat, and its low calorie content determines its compatibility with the principles of dietary nutrition.

Now the cost of fecal meat exceeds the cost of ordinary meat dozens of times, but in the near future it will become no less affordable. The Japanese government believes that the new product will help in the global fight against hunger, as well as improve the environmental situation.

Note that today the meat industry is responsible for 18% of the fumes that exacerbate the greenhouse effect.

Well, let's hope that such meat will not be allowed to the counters in Russia, or that it will at least be distinguishable from real meat.

The Dutch have found a way to stop killing pets

Scientists at Maastricht University decided to compete with Japanese specialists engaged in the development of a substitute for real meat. Unlike colleagues from the Land of the Rising Sun, Dutch ideas are not distinguished by the radicalism of Japanese shitburgers.

They consist in the use of technologies for growing muscle tissue from stem cells from cows and pigs. The procedure for isolating these cells is not dangerous and does not harm animals:

Samples are placed in a special environment.
They are fed with fetal serum, which is the plasma that remains in the blood after the clot-forming process. This serum is a special product excreted from the body of a newborn fetus.
Such manipulations make it possible to obtain strips of tissue resembling muscle in its appearance and properties. This fabric is subjected to daily stretching, which allows you to simulate the work of muscles and "grow" the future steak.

This stage presents some difficulties, because due to the lack of iron (which is in the blood), the tissues are discolored. The issue was addressed with the addition of myoglobin. This substance is a protein saturated with iron.

Experts claim that it is possible to grow a decent amount of such a product in a fairly short period of time - just a couple of months. The catch is that today the legal framework does not allow the sale of meat grown in laboratory conditions. It is assumed that fetal serum may contain substances hazardous to humans.

Scientists from Amsterdam are not disappointed, but continue their work, concentrating on the search for an ideal synthetic substitute based on some kind of aquatic bacteria.

Perhaps the near future with such a meat production system will allow us to stop killing pets.

Most laboratory methods for growing meat use serum-derived animal cells. In a bioreactor, muscles are formed from cells, which becomes the basis of meat. However, the prime cost of this technology did not allow the introduction of artificial meat to the market and the scaling up of production.

Academician of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences Iosif Rogov has a patent for the production of artificial meat from stem cells. A year and a half ago, a scientist who is now 86 years old made a steak from meat that he grew in his laboratory. He himself does not like the word "artificial": the meat that we eat can rather be called artificial, since it contains hormones and antibiotics, Rogov said.

All this looks like fantasy, and the meat grown in a test tube has already been nicknamed Frankenmite - by analogy with food for the Frankenstein monster, made in a similar way.

Rogov received a patent for the production of artificial meat back in 2006, but the idea appeared back in 2000, he wrote it down in the calendar and put it off. Later, rummaging in old papers, Rogov saw his entry - "amoeba - meat - proliferation (reproduction)" - and began experiments. He created this product together with Academician Lev Ernst, the father of the head of the First Channel, Konstantin Ernst, and several other scientists. 41 doctors of sciences came out of his laboratory, and Rogov himself received three state awards.

Today Rogov needs money to continue his work. But he is not looking for investors, counting on state support. His school received 2 million rubles. within the framework of the grant, including for this research. But Rogov lost his laboratory during the merger of the Moscow State University of Applied Biotechnology, which he headed, and the Moscow State University of Food Production. Rogov hopes for her revival at a new university. At the end of last year, another merger took place - this time of the Moscow State University of Food Production to the Moscow State University of Design and Technology. While on paper, Rogov specifies. His laboratory has not yet appeared: money is required for equipment. At this stage, about 1 million rubles are needed. to the bioreactor for further laboratory research, testing the taste and safety of the product. This may take another five years. A bioreactor for growing meat cells is like a large mattress, all processes in it are automated. Irina Volkova, a student of Rogov, saw such a bioreactor in Switzerland at one of the universities.

It should be noted that in Russia there are practically no venture capital funds investing in food, and there are also few more conservative private equity funds with a similar profile. For example, the American Agribusiness Partners International invested in traditional projects such as Kurinoe Tsarstvo, Akodek (cheese production), etc. Irina Rukhadze, managing partner of Agribusiness Management Company, says that “the artificial meat project does not suit us. Most likely, in Russia it will be a niche product designed for a very narrow audience, for people who refuse natural meat for ethical and environmental reasons. In addition, we have an understanding that Russia is close to overproduction of chicken and pork, which calls into question the feasibility of producing a new type of meat. " Mushegh Mamikonyan, President of the “Meat Union” believes that “the“ Artificial Meat ”project still has exclusively scientific significance. It is similar to the creation of human internal organs in transplantology. It will be of practical importance not earlier than in 25-30 years, when foreign technologies for the production of this product appear in Russia. But the price of such meat is very high, it is cheaper to import beef, and in 2016 we will have enough of our own pork and poultry without import. " “For the sake of replacing natural meat in our diet, artificial ones should not be made,” says Sergei Yushin, head of the executive committee of the National Meat Association. "Natural meat is a more tasty and understandable product for people."

Why do you need artificial meat?

What is the point in growing artificial meat if it can be obtained in the traditional way, breeding cows, pigs, poultry, etc.? The fact is that the demand for meat in the next 40 years, according to the Food and Drug Administration of the United States (Food and Drug Administration), will double, and traditional animal husbandry will not be able to meet this demand. In Russia, meat consumption in the next 30 years will grow by 60%, according to the National Meat Association, and they do not see problems with meeting the growing demand here. Meanwhile, livestock mutates: animals eat feed grown on harmful nitrates, they are fed with meat additives, growth hormones, antibiotics (often even to prevent diseases), and as a result they can no longer resist infections. Hence, outbreaks of serious diseases such as swine fever, mad cow disease, etc.

Last year, 16% of pigs in China were found to have E. coli, which the most powerful antibiotic, colistin, cannot destroy, according to the Lancet Infection Diseases. The reason is that Chinese farmers have been adding colistin to animals' food uncontrollably for decades. This strongest antibiotic is used when other antibiotics are unable to cope with a bacterial infection. Scientists fear that this E. coli will spread throughout the world, and today there is no effective medicine to cope with the new disease.

“The future is in test tube meat. Artificially created, with texture and taste, it is much cheaper and more useful - this is something that will sooner or later replace all livestock farming on the planet, ”Mikhail Kokorich, owner of Dauria Aerospace, comments on this news on his Facebook page. “In Russia, as well as in Europe, there are very strict requirements regarding the use of antibiotics and the maximum permissible levels of hazardous and harmful substances in meat,” says Sergei Yushin. - In our country, responsible manufacturers stop using antibiotics long before slaughter so that the residues of drugs can be completely eliminated from the body. The control over the observance of the current requirements must, of course, be strengthened. "

Another reason to abandon natural meat was clearly demonstrated by the creators of the most famous film about the impact of animal husbandry on the ecology of the earth - Cowspiracy ("Cattle conspiracy"). They took statistics from the US official bodies, according to which livestock produces 18% of all gases (primarily methane), which create a greenhouse effect, and transport - only 13%. The greenhouse effect leads to global warming and the destruction of many species of animals and plants. Livestock consumes 33% of all clean water in the world. So, to grow 1 kg of wheat, 60 liters of water are required, and 1 kg of meat - 1250-3000 liters. 2,500 cows produce excrement per day as much as a city of 411,000, etc.

Cattle eat enough grain per year that they can feed 8 billion people, which is about 1 billion more than the current population of the Earth. But nearly 1 billion people are malnourished. And there are hundreds of such facts.

The largest Russian meat producers, Miratorg and Cherkizovo Group, declined to comment on the emergence of a competitor - artificial meat. Irina Volkova believes that “the Russian market, most likely, will not be ready to accept artificial meat for a long time, since we have a different mentality: we have a lot of land, and we do not think very much about the ecology and ethics of animal husbandry, and there is little land in the Netherlands, and the consumer is ready. "

When will artificial meat hit the shelves?

Mosa Meat from the Netherlands intends to start mass production of artificial meat from stem cells in five years. The technology was developed by Professor Mark Post from the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, and his team created the Mosa Meat company. Fasting took a small piece of muscle tissue from a live cow, divided it into several fibers, then extracted stem cells from these fibers and placed them in a solution, probably similar to that used by Irina Volkova. Post himself never described the process exactly. The cells grew into strings about 12 mm long and only 1 mm in diameter. Then the strings were placed in a nutrient gel, and a piece of biomass was formed. These cells grow as satellite cells that repair animal or human skin when damaged and form muscle tissue.

Irina Volkova was the only Russian scientist to visit the Netherlands last October for a symposium, where Mark Post made a sensational statement about the mass production of artificial meat. Volkova also made a presentation at this symposium. What is the difference in the technology of growing meat from Rogov - Volkova and from Post?

“Fasting works with satellite cells, from which only muscle tissue can be grown, and we - with stem mesenchymal cells, from which muscle, adipose, and bone tissue can be grown. Our cells can multiply an unlimited number of times, while Lent has a limited number. " But Post does not disclose the details of obtaining his product, and he did not show his bioreactor to the symposium participants. He also did not respond to Ko's request.

Almost $ 400,000 was spent on Post's research and the very process of growing meat for the first cutlet. $ 330,000 was given by Sergey Brin, one of the founders of Google. In addition, the Dutch government allocated $ 2 million for these developments to the predecessor of Mark Post, William van Eelen and other scientists.

In 2013, the Dutch introduced the world's first stem cell-grown burger. The meat turned out to be gray-white. Fasting added dyes to it to make the meat look more appetizing. But the tasters noted that the meat turned out to be rather dry, although it tasted absolutely meaty. This was due to the lack of fat in the meat, says Volkova. If the first burger cost $ 400,000, then when mass production is launched, the price will be about $ 80, or 64 euros per kg, according to Mark Post. However, there remains the problem of the nutrient medium in which stem cells must grow. So far, it is very expensive because of the blood serum, which is taken from the abortive material of cows. But there are companies that are preparing a substitute for this whey.

One cow's stem cells are enough to produce 175 million burgers, without having to kill it. Traditional animal husbandry needs to raise 440,000 cows for the same number of burgers, says Mark Post's team. These burgers are safe as they are free of chemical additives. The Post is currently thinking about producing meat on 3D bioprinters. Gabor Forgach from the University of Missouri (USA), founder of Modern Meadow, invented a 3D bioprinter to produce thicker layers of fabric that Mark Post's team cannot yet do.

According to the Environmental Science & Technology Journal, meat grown in the bioreactor will use 45% less energy, 99% less water, and the greenhouse effect will be reduced by 96%. Post says he will be happy if the artificial meat supply reduces the number of farms and slaughterhouses in the world.

How meat is obtained in the laboratory

Rogova's student, Ph.D. Irina Volkova, reveals the details of the process: stem cells taken from the bone marrow of a cow are placed in a nutrient solution consisting of water, amino acids, glucose, vitamins, 10% blood serum obtained from abortive material from cows, and weak antibiotic. All this is placed in plastic bottles with a lid, or so-called culture mattresses. The cells in the nutrient solution grow on the surface of specially treated plastic. After a week, the cells are doubled, they are removed from the plastic and placed on three-dimensional macroporous microcarriers and cultured for another four days.

After obtaining a pure culture, the antibiotic is not used. Then the so-called retinoic acid inducers are added to the cells, which form adipose and muscle tissues. On the 30th day, the cells or biomass are ready. Cells multiply by division, like an amoeba. The process of tissue growth of artificial meat to some extent copies the natural growth of cells in the body of an animal, the production rate of such meat is relatively low - about 30 days.

Stem cells can be taken once, form a bank of stem cells and provide themselves with cells almost forever. Rogov did not interfere with genes. Such meat does not carry the threat of cancer for its consumers, moreover, the stem cells from which it is grown have medicinal properties, for example, they can participate in the regeneration of damaged tissues without causing rejection, etc. But this is already another, medical, sphere of their application, and its new revolutionary direction - transplantation, or transplantation of artificially grown organs.

Artificial meat has no taste in its raw form, but when frying it appears. “We examined the amino acid composition of this meat, it matches that of a cow. We are moving in the right direction, ”says Rogov.

- Natalia Kuznetsova