A team of Japanese scientists have created chunks of lab-grown chicken – in a “breakthrough” experts say could pave the way for the creation of larger cuts of meat.
In the quest to cultivate meat without the climate impact of farmed animals, scientists have so far only been able to grow tiny chunks of animal cells that have been used to recreate minced meat products like pork meatballs.
But a Japanese team has pioneered a new method to grow larger pieces of chicken in a lab, which they say recreates the texture and structure of a piece of meat that has so far proved so elusive.
Independent experts have hailed it a “breakthrough” and a “meaningful technical achievement”.
The researchers involved believe it paves the way for whole cuts of chicken, beef, and fish to be grown in the lab.
“Cultured meat offers a sustainable, ethical alternative to conventional meat,” said Shoji Takeuchi from Tokyo University, senior author of the paper published this week in peer-reviewed journal Trends in Biotechnology.
“However, replicating the texture and taste of whole-cut meat remains difficult. Our technology enables the production of structured meat with improved texture and flavour.”
Their method used fine hollow fibres that mimic blood vessels to deliver oxygen and nutrients to living chicken muscle cells, growing them into lumps of meat up to 2cm long and 1cm thick, weighing 10 grams.
“These fibres are already commonly used in household water filters and dialysis machines for patients with kidney disease.
“It’s exciting to discover that these tiny fibres can also effectively help create artificial tissues and, possibly, whole organs in the future.”
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Overcoming the ‘ick factor’
Prof Derek Stewart from The James Hutton Institute, told Sky News: “I’d class this as a technical breakthrough”.
Dr Rodrigo Amaro-Ledesma from Imperial College London called it a “meaningful technical achievement that they have produced a cultivated chicken meat several centimetres thick”.
This, combined with other work on fine-tuning flavours and reducing costs, puts us “comfortably on track towards an exciting and appealing new range of products”, he said.
But in order for cultivated meat products to “hit the supermarket shelves in a big way, they need to also be a hit with consumers”.
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The industry prefers the term “alternative protein” to “lab-grown meat” because it is worried the former gives people the “ick”.
One survey by the Food Standards Agency found a third of UK consumers would be willing to try lab-grown meat.
Although the science has advanced rapidly in recent years, no products have yet been authorised for humans to eat, though they have for pets.
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But the government wants to change that, last year announcing £15m of funding, topping up £23m from other sources, to try to get them onto our plates in the next two years.
That includes speeding up the approvals process so that it can keep up with the evolving science, and lowering currently high input costs.
Dr Amaro-Ledesma added: “Cultivated meat is a promising alternative to conventional meat because it offers the potential to reduce environmental impacts (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions, land and water use), eliminate the need for animal slaughter, and improve food safety by avoiding the use of antibiotics and reducing the risk of zoonotic diseases, amongst other advantages.”
Lydia Collas, head of natural environment at Green Alliance, said: “We keep seeing exciting breakthroughs towards more sustainable sources of protein, and with decisive action this can be a real opportunity for the UK.
“We already have a lead, thanks to our world-leading biotech industry and high food quality and safety standards.
“The government’s forthcoming industrial strategy must include measures to grow the UK industry, which, according to our research, could add £6.8bn to the UK economy every year and create 25,000 new jobs by 2035.”
