The world’s first “test-tube” meat, a hamburger made from a cow’s stem cells, will be produced this fall, announced Dutch scientist Mark Post Chair of the Physiology department atMaastricht Universityin theNetherlands. His goal and that of other similar researchers is to take animal stem cells and “grow” meat in the laboratory.
This would eliminate the need to raise, feed, water and slaughter animals across the world in order to produce a meat supply. By eliminating the need to raise chickens, pigs, cows, and other animals, world food supplies can be dramatically increased while reducing acreage needed for such activities. The first test tube hamburger made from stem cells took around $250,000 to produce; but as the science becomes more efficient, it is likely that large supplies of meat could be served across the world that never breathed, walked, had sunshine or grazed. They spent their entire “life” in a laboratory.
Theoretically, such meat will be similar to normal animals, but the concept of stem cell meat is disturbing to some, including this author. Having grown up on a dairy myself, I know that the taste of beef and milk are highly influence by an animal’s environment and food. Like us, cows are what they eat, both nature and nurture. Milkweed, if consumed by a cow, will cause sour milk. Kobe beef is the result of massaged cows force fed beer each day. How will laboratory beef differ? Will there be missing enzymes, tastes or items that take a real animal to produce?
Will PETA, vegans, or vegetarians choose to eat meat if no animal died to produce it? As strange as all these questions sound, it is my prediction that within just ten to twenty years stem cell meat products will be as common as irradiated vegetables and genetically engineered corn and soy bean seeds are now. Will the organic movement embrace the raising of real animals or will they endorse suffering free grown tissue?
The old joke that this “tastes like chicken” might actually even become true for chicken that was never born or lived but is still served by a future KFC battered up and spiced and dropped in a bucket at a drive through in your near future. In fact, you can get all types of unique sizes and shapes, no more breast, thigh, wing, drumstick – you can grow chicken in the shape of alphabet soup if you want. Think of the possibilities…
Yummy, do you want mustard and mayo with that?
Michael Bradley - Time Traveler 