Meat from the laboratory: what you should know about this trend

Meat from the laboratory sounds strange, but it can already be made in a test tube. Some startups are also working on bringing it to restaurants and supermarkets. But how exactly is the meat made and what are the advantages and disadvantages?

Meat from the laboratory: definition and production

All the important facts about meat from the laboratory that you need to know:

• The meat from the laboratory is also known as in-vitro meat (lat. Meat from the glass), clean meat or cultured meat.
• Research has been going on in Holland since the 1990s.
• The stem cells are obtained from live animals. These are anesthetized so that they do not feel any pain.
• Manufacturing process : Stem cells are removed from the animal under anesthesia, which are placed in a nutrient solution (usually calf serum) in a petri glass and grow over a certain period of time. This can vary depending on the animal. These types of stem cells (myoblasts) can grow into various cell types, such as muscle and adipose tissue.
• The animals whose stem cells are used are healthy and live free-range. This should improve the quality of the meat.
• In 2013 Mark Post tasted the first meatball in London made from cattle stem cells.
• The applied biotechnology has been known from medicine for years. This creates new skin for victims of severe burn injuries.

The advantages of the Clean Meat

There are several advantages to the Clean Meat. The basic aim of the researchers is to produce meat that is as ethically correct as possible so that no animals have to suffer from it.

• So far, animal nutrient solutions (calf serum) have often been used, but they cannot be obtained without animal suffering. However, there is already research into alternatives . In principle, no animal has to suffer or be killed in order to obtain stem cells.
• No fodder has to be grown or the animal remains and excrement disposed of.
• Depending on the energy consumption in mass production, it can be a significantly lower burden on the environment. Cattle in particular cause an enormous amount of methane gas, which could be significantly reduced by meat from the laboratory.
• This means that significantly less land is used. Animal husbandry with forage area currently takes up around 30 to 40 percent of the total land area.
• The risk of epidemics and the acidification of the oceans should decrease drastically due to the in-vitro meat.
• In addition, certain nutrients may also be added to the laboratory meat.
• The quality of the meat is higher because it does not contain stress hormones. The animals are not afraid of death and therefore do not produce hormones that burden the meat and make it tough.

The disadvantages of in vitro meat

Of course, meat from the laboratory not only brings advantages, but also disadvantages.

• Calf serum is still mainly used as a nutrient base for the enrichment of the stem cells. A highly vulnerable cow is slaughtered and the blood is drawn from the living, unborn calf with a needle into the heart. The procedure takes place without anesthesia and takes around 30 minutes. The calf dies of suffocation as a result of not being able to survive. This process is ethically very questionable.
• The Clean Meat is not vegan, because animal products are still used.
• Although meat production has decreased over time, it remains very expensive. At that time, the first burger had production costs of over 200, 000 euros. Some startups predict a price of around 50 euros per steak. Although this is very cheap in relation, it is not competitive with conventional meat.
• Mass production could consume a lot of energy and, in case of doubt, represent a significantly higher environmental impact. However, precise figures and studies are missing.
• The idea of ​​using antibiotics with meat from the glass is no longer to be used, but it would have to be carried out entirely sterile. The artificially produced meat has no immune system and cannot defend itself against bacteria.
• The Clean Meat has the same properties as meat in terms of ingredients: cholesterol, animal fats and proteins. This can lead to higher risks of heart attacks, diabetes, strokes, Alzheimer's and other diseases.
• Production for supermarkets and restaurants will take a few more years.
• The artificial meat will not abolish mass production. There will still be a need for eggs, milk and leather. As long as this cannot be generated in the laboratory, animals will continue to be kept and slaughtered in bulk.
• In terms of taste, it is still not very convincing, since the animal fats in particular are missing. In addition, the corresponding structure and shape are often missing, which is why many startups rely on artificial minced meat.

It is well known that meat can promote various diseases such as heart attacks and diabetes. You can find out whether and how healthy or unhealthy meat is in our next article.