South Korea: It may look like pink jelly, but scientists hope this new invention will revolutionize the meat industry

CNN
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Do you want a medium-rare, well-done or lab-grown burger?

Researcher in South Korea They say they have developed a new way of making… Lab grown meat It tastes like real meat. It may look like a clear, pink piece of chewing gum, but scientists hope it will revolutionize the meat served on people’s plates.

Lab-grown meat – also called cultured meat or cell-based meat – is emerging as an alternative to traditional meat, offering the same nutritional benefits and sensory experience without the carbon footprint.

They are made by growing animal cells directly in the laboratory on 3D structures called “scaffolds,” which allow the cells to multiply and eliminate the need to farm animals.

Scientists have made everything from it Sanskrit Meatballs per 3D printed steak. While some previous versions of cultured beef mimicked the look and texture of the original, they overlooked one important element: flavor, according to a new study.

But in a study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, researchers say they have solved the mystery and created cultured meat that produces “roast beef flavor” when cooked.

One of the study’s co-authors and a doctoral student, Millai Lee, a doctoral student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Yonsei University in Seoul, told CNN, “Taste is the most important factor in accepting cultured meat as authentic.”

To mimic the taste of traditional meat, Lee and his colleagues recreated the flavors created during the Maillard reaction—a chemical reaction that occurs between an amino acid and reduced sugar when heat is added, which gives the burger its delicious, charred flavor.

They created what Lee describes as “the basic composition of cultured meat” by introducing a modifiable flavor compound into a gelatin-based hydrogel.

Aromatic compounds, which consist of an aroma group and two binding groups, remain in the structure until heated. When cooked for five minutes at 150 degrees Celsius (302 degrees Fahrenheit), it “activates,” releasing meat flavors in a repeat of the Maillard reaction, Lee said.

Because cultured meat is not yet edible, the researchers used an electronic nose that “mimics the human olfactory system,” Lee said, to test the smell of cultured meat and find out how it compares to conventional meat.

In this study, the researchers focused on adding “meaty” and “savory” flavors, Lee said, but the flavor factor could also be adjusted to include other flavors — such as the fat that comes from juicy prime ribs.

The research focused on the science behind the taste of lab-grown meat rather than commercializing the process, which is why the scientists used non-edible materials. However, they believe the technique can be applied to traditional foods, Lee said.

They plan to reduce the animal products used in the process with gelatin-based hydrogels, to work toward producing lab-grown meat almost entirely free of animal ingredients.

Animal husbandry is responsible for emitting 6.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. According to the United NationsThis represents about 12% of the total emissions caused by human activities. Beef production is the most carbon intensive.

However, cultured meat is being positioned as a climate-friendly alternative to beef some study Some say the potential environmental impact may be exaggerated and rely on finding less energy-consuming production methods.

“Lab-grown meat has great potential to contribute to a sustainable diet, but its taste is probably a small part of its success,” said Jennifer Jacquette, a professor of environmental science at the University of Miami, who was not involved in the research. .

“Whether lab-grown meat becomes acceptable or widespread depends largely on the actions of powerful meat and dairy companies,” he told CNN.

There was already resistance in the US. In May, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced Sale of lab-grown meat is prohibited in the state, which he said was an effort to protect farmers and herdsmen.

“Today, Florida is resisting the global elite’s plans to force the world to eat meat or insects grown in petri dishes to achieve their authoritarian goals,” DeSantis said in a statement at the time.

But it is possible to get lab-grown chicken elsewhere in the US, though not yet beef.

In 2023, the USDA gave two companies – Good Meat and Upside Foods – the green light to sell farm-raised chicken products, making it the second country after Singapore where consumers can buy these products.

Companies Their chicken first appeared in high-end restaurants in the United States last year

In May, Huber’s Butchery became the first retailer in Singapore to sell cultured meat, while Good Meats sold ground chicken, which is only 3% cultured meat. The rest are herbal ingredients. Laut der good meat-website.

Now that a team of South Korean researchers has found one piece of the puzzle for improving the flavor of lab-grown meat, the next challenge is to combine that flavor with cultured meat that better mimics the look and texture of real meat—and to create that pink, gelatinous mass. less likely.