World’s largest lab-grown steak weighing nearly four ounces that was 3D printed from real bovine cells which matured into fat and muscle is unveiled by Israeli firm
- The steak weighs 3.67 ounces and is made from real fat and muscle cells taken from tissue samples of a living cow
- Living bovine stem cells were added to the ‘bio-inks,’ along with stem cells, which were then placed in a 3D printer to produce the steak
- The company says the lab-grown meat ‘looks, tastes, smells and feels just like the farmed variety’
Israeli-based MeaTech unveiled the world’s largest lab-grown steak on Wednesday.
Weighing 3.67 ounces, the steak is made from real fat and muscle cells taken from tissue samples of a living cow and produces astatically pleasing grill marks when cooked.
Living bovine stem cells were added to the ‘bio-inks,’ along with stem cells, which were then placed in a 3D printer to produce the steak.
The printed slab of ‘meat’ was then matured in an incubator, allowing the stems cells were differentiated into fat and muscle cells that develop into fat and muscle tissues.
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Weighing 3.67 ounces, the steak is made from real fat and muscle cells taken from tissue samples of a living cow and produces astatically pleasing grill marks when cooked
‘MeaTech’s goal is developing a true replacement for conventional steak that maximizes cell-based content rather than non-meat ingredients,’ the company shared in a press release.
‘MeaTech intends to continue improving upon its bioprinting and cultivation technologies to produce cultivated meat that better mirrors the key characteristics of farm-raised, premium steak.’
Raising livestock to be slaughtered for meat accounts for nearly 15 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, making the process a huge contributor to climate change.
Even worse, methane produced by cows is said to be 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide in warming the atmosphere.
Raising livestock to be slaughtered for meat accounts for nearly 15 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, making the process a huge contributor to climate change. Methane produced by cows is said to be 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide in warming the atmosphere
And these are the reasons why MeaTech is working to perfect its 3D-printed steak.
The company’s process starts by isolating bovine stem cells and multiplying those cells.
This allows them to transform the cells into bio-inks, which are loaded into MeaTech’s 3D bioprinter that is capable of digitally 3D-printing the cell inks.
The final product comes out as stem cells, but then mature to differentiate into muscle and fat cells that then give rise to muscle and fat tissue.
‘Each step of the cultivated steak process was developed and optimized in-house, from unique and functional bio-ink formulation to proprietary cell differentiation protocols of the stem cells to patented printing techniques,’ MeaTech shared in the release.
And the firm says the steak ‘looks, tastes, smells and feels just like the farmed variety.’
Lab-grown meat is gaining traction into the food industry and in August, scientists revealed the world’s first 3D-printed Wagyu beef has been revealed by scientists, who say it has marbling ‘just like the real thing’ and is grown from stem cells in the lab.
The world’s first 3D-printed Wagyu beef was revealed by scientists in August, who say it has marbling ‘just like the real thing’ and is grown from stem cells in the lab
Most ‘cultured’ meat produced so far has come out like mince rather than steak, composed of simple muscle fibers rather than more complex structures.
However, steaks – particularly from delicate Waygu beef – contain fat, muscle and blood vessels in an intricate structure producing a marbling effect, and this is what the team from Osaka University was able to replicate using 3D printing techniques.
‘This work may help usher in a more sustainable future with widely available cultured meat,’ that is closer to existing products, says study author Dong-Hee Kang.
The team gave no indication on eventual cost of producing the steaks or how long it would take for the product to reach the market.
Three-quarters of the eco-friendly Generation Z ‘are disgusted by lab-grown meat’ and say they would NOT eat it
Almost three-in-four members of Australia’s Gen Z are ‘disgusted’ by the idea of lab-grown meat and said they would not eat it instead of animal products, a study found.
Synthetic, lab-grown — or ‘cultured’ — meat is grown in dishes from samples of real animal cells, instead of being sourced from the slaughter of livestock.
Experts believe that a move away from traditional meat production is necessary, given animal welfare concerns and the environmental impact of livestock farming.
A recent study argued that a broad switch to plant-based proteins could remove 16 years’ worth of atmospheric CO2 emissions by 2050 by restoring native vegetation.
Accordingly, many Gen Z and millennials are understood to have taken up veganism or vegetarianism to help mitigate climate change and minimise animal suffering.
However, the survey of 227 Gen Z Australians found that as many as 72 per cent have reservations about eating cultured meat over its animal-derived forebear.
Nevertheless, 41 per cent of those polled also said that they saw synthetic meat as having the potential to be a viable nutritional source in the future.
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