Cultured meat, obtained without the need to kill animals, goes straight to our table: hamburgers, chicken, meatballs … they are basic elements of the Western diet. However, the increasing consumption of meat in the world has had a huge impact on the biodiversity of animals and the environment in general. How to deal with this growing problem? Laboratory-grown meat is one of the biggest bets for the present-future.
Although a small percentage of the world is changing their diet to one more based on fruits and vegetables as a way to combat the negative effects of meat consumption, this may not be enough. This is where we introduce in vitro meat or cultured meat.
Consumption of meat around the world, in both the developed and the developing world, is increasing. It is a fact. Just in the second half of the 20th century, world meat consumption increased fivefold, from 45 million tons of meat consumed in 1950 to almost 300 million tons today. If this voracious carnivorous appetite doesn’t stop, these numbers could double by 2050 . That’s right: 600 million tons of meat.
In fact, it makes sense for consumption to grow. As more nations do better economically, the growing middle class will have more resources to buy and, of course, to improve their diet and buy / eat more meat.
Environmental experts have warned that the world’s growing appetite for meat is not sustainable and could wreak havoc on the entire planet. Science offers a solution: lab-grown meat.
Despite its name, in vitro meat is not what you think (in almost all likelihood) and, in addition, it is much more attractive than it seems. Scientists immersed in the field of biotechnology have found a way to create meat within a laboratory without harming any animal and with an appearance and taste that will be difficult to differentiate from traditional meat. So there is no need to worry, this meat has all the flavor and texture that we usually appreciate in real meat.
To shed a little light on this matter, we have spoken with Mercedes Vila Juárez , PhD in Materials Physics from the Autonomous University of Madrid-CSIC and co-founder of Biotech Foods.
Here you will find everything you need to know about laboratory-grown meat.
To get into the matter: Did you know that the ability to convert vegetable protein to animal is very inefficient? With 6 kg of feed you only get 1 kg of meat.
