Dutch researchers to develop test tube hamburger this year
Researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands are set to develop a test tube hamburger using strips of artificial meat grown in laboratory, a development which could cut down animal slaughter.
Although the new hamburger is estimated to cost £220,000, the researchers plan to improve production techniques to lower the costs.
Last October, Maastricht University professor and research leader Mark Post grew muscle-like strips, each 2.5cm long and 0.7cm wide, by using pig's stem cells and a serum taken from a horse foetus.
Speaking at American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Vancouver Mark Post said that the research team has successfully replicated the process with cow cells and calf serum, accelerating the process of creating an artificial hamburger.
"In October we are going to provide a proof of concept showing out of stem cells we can make a product that looks, feels and hopefully tastes like meat," Post added.
In order to produce artificial meat, the stem cells are placed in a broth containing serum from cow foetus and vital nutrients, through which, muscle cells will be allowed to grow and multiply up to 30 times.
The researchers note that mass producing meat in the laboratory could cut down the number of cattle farmed for food, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address the growing global demand for meat.
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