OISE Oxford's in-house meat eater is not fussy when it comes to food, and claims to absolutely love meat, especially steak. "Personally, while the idea of lab-grown meat sounds a little strange, I would definitely give it a try. It will only improve with time," he says. On the other side of the dinner table is OISE Oxford's in-house vegetarian. When asked her opinion of lab-grown meat, she claims "it all seems a bit too odd for me, and I'm not sure that I would trust it. I'm sure there must be an ethical argument there, too."
How is it made?
'It starts with stem cells extracted from cow muscle tissue. In the laboratory, these are cultured with nutrients and growth-promoting chemicals to help them develop and multiply. Three weeks later, there are more than a million stem cells, which are put into smaller dishes where they coalesce into small strips of muscle about a centimetre long and a few millimetres thick. These strips are collected into small pellets, which are frozen.
When there are enough, they are defrosted and compacted into a patty just before being cooked.' According to researchers, ' the technology could be a sustainable way of meeting what they say is a growing demand for meat.'
What about the taste? Can they actually reproduce the texture and flavour of meat?
Well, according to one food critic, Josh Schonwald, "The mouthfeel is like meat. I miss the fat, there's a leanness to it, but the general bite feels like a hamburger."
Will this be the answer for all vegetarians that choose not to eat meat as they feel bad for indirectly killing animals?
While many vegetarian's will probably have mixed views, the meat grown this way must seem more appealing. Leader of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Ingrid Newkirk, claims that while she herself is repulsed by the idea of eating any flesh food, at least this way people will get meat from a more humane source.
What are the reader's views on this topic? Would they try a juicy lab-burger/hot dog/lamb chop?
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23576143
How is it made?
'It starts with stem cells extracted from cow muscle tissue. In the laboratory, these are cultured with nutrients and growth-promoting chemicals to help them develop and multiply. Three weeks later, there are more than a million stem cells, which are put into smaller dishes where they coalesce into small strips of muscle about a centimetre long and a few millimetres thick. These strips are collected into small pellets, which are frozen.
When there are enough, they are defrosted and compacted into a patty just before being cooked.' According to researchers, ' the technology could be a sustainable way of meeting what they say is a growing demand for meat.'
What about the taste? Can they actually reproduce the texture and flavour of meat?
Well, according to one food critic, Josh Schonwald, "The mouthfeel is like meat. I miss the fat, there's a leanness to it, but the general bite feels like a hamburger."
Will this be the answer for all vegetarians that choose not to eat meat as they feel bad for indirectly killing animals?
While many vegetarian's will probably have mixed views, the meat grown this way must seem more appealing. Leader of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Ingrid Newkirk, claims that while she herself is repulsed by the idea of eating any flesh food, at least this way people will get meat from a more humane source.
What are the reader's views on this topic? Would they try a juicy lab-burger/hot dog/lamb chop?
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23576143
