Was prepared and eaten the first cutlet from a test tube
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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At the scientific press conference, the world's first cutlet, fully synthesized under laboratory conditions, was presented. Scientists from the Netherlands finally presented to Europe a new product, for the development of which they spent more than 200 million British pounds. The head of the research group is confident that the application of successful technology in the near future will be able to solve the problem with the shortage of food in low-developed countries.
Experts from Maastrich (the Kingdom of the Netherlands) believe that industrial livestock raising, whose goal is to provide the population with meat products, does not cope with the tasks, as demand is constantly growing. New technologies can help meet the needs of meat consumers around the world.
Of course, such an experiment could not fail to appear enough critics, the main argument of which is that it is the reduction of consumption of meat food that could solve the problem of food shortages.
To date, many research institutes are studying the possibility of obtaining tissues of the human body. The main goal of such studies is transplantology, the development of which can make a revolution in medicine. A similar technique for growing cells of a living organism was also used by scientists from the Netherlands. Scientists have used already known technologies in order to produce muscle mass and fats of animal origin.
The process of creating animal cells looks approximately this way: from the muscle tissue of the animal, cells are extracted that subsequently develop and multiply in the laboratory. After three or four weeks, under the influence of nutrients, the number of stem cells increases significantly. Then the stem cells grow together and form small pieces of muscle tissue, which is practically the same as ordinary beef. From ready-made pieces of muscle tissue, scientists formed briquettes that were either frozen or prepared.
The resulting product, unlike beef meat, has a pale pink color, which scientists try to make more saturated with myoglobin. Experts working on the product are sure that the project can not be considered successful unless the greatest possible resemblance to real meat is achieved. If the color and taste do not look like fresh beef, then the product will not be in demand, as consumers are primarily interested not in nutrition, but in the full replacement of meat. The cutlet shown at the conference was tinted with the help of natural dye (beet juice), since the idea of processing meat with the help of myoglobin is under development. Also, for a more appetizing kind, biscuits and proper serving were used. In the cutlets, except for the artificially created muscle tissue, spices, salt and black pepper were added.
Opponents of this development believe that the production of artificial meat will not solve the world's problems associated with a shortage of food. Critics are convinced that in order to prevent food shortages in underdeveloped countries, it is necessary to review the supply system rather than increase production of products.