Posted on 01/20/2025 9:11:26 AM PST by Red Badger
(Credit: Hebrew University)
A new variety of synthetic meat, comparable in flavor to lamb or beef, has been created by an Israeli-based research team using metamaterials and injection molding technology.
The artificial meat is reportedly difficult to distinguish from its naturally farmed counterparts, according to scientists with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem involved in the research. The team calls their meat substitute a “major step” toward producing sustainable alternatives to traditional protein sources derived from livestock.
The innovation is described in a new paper that appeared in Nature Communications.
Artificial Whole-Cut ‘Meta-Meat’
Whole cuts currently represent more than half of all global meat consumption. Although meat alternatives already exist, many artificial meats lack the texture and flavor of those afforded us by nature.
Aiming to develop a comparable protein alternative, the Hebrew University team, led by Dr. Mohammad Ghosheh and Professor Yaakov Nahmias with the Hebrew University Alexander Grass Center for Bioengineering, chose to employ materials science as a path toward overcoming the complicated process of replicating the texture and structure of naturally farmed meats.
Affordability is also a factor, and the Hebrew University researchers were aware that pioneering technologies like 3D printing, which have become more accessible in recent years, still impose some limitations on how protein alternatives are produced.
Applying a novel approach toward the problem, the Israeli and Palestinian engineering team decided to use metamaterials instead, facilitating a novel method of creating whole cuts of “meat.”
Injection Molding: From Aerospace to Artificial Meat
In essence, metamaterials are composite materials with unique properties dictated by their structure rather than the materials from which they are composed.
Artist’s concept of the structure of metamaterial fat (Credit: Hebrew University).
Borrowing from the aerospace industry’s playbook, injection molding was selected as a viable manufacturing process the team could use to help them recreate the intricate combination of muscles and fats that real meat is comprised of.
The team says this is the first time injection molding has been employed to create meat alternatives in the lab.
Metamaterials at the Meat Market
At the heart of the team’s work are a pair of metamaterials unique to the research. One is a low-temperature meat analogue that successfully reproduces the texture of muscle tissue. The other is a plant-protein-stabilized proteoleogel, which simulates the same structural integrity of animal fats even under the high-heat conditions under which real meat is normally cooked.
When combined, the team says these materials helped them create cuts of meat comparable in appearance, taste, and texture to beef and other varieties of meat. A range of different complex cuts are also attainable, from various steaks to chops and even bone-in cuts like T-bones.
Left to Right: Dr. Mohammad Ghosheh and Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, the researchers who led the recent study (Credit: Hebrew University).
Prof. Nahmias said the team’s achievement “demonstrates the untapped potential of metamaterials in food technology” and in ways that hold the potential for guiding future advancements in the development of sustainable protein alternatives and other engineered food sources.
“By harnessing their unique structural properties, we have developed a solution that is not only sustainable but also scalable,” Nahmias added, “addressing the growing global demand for meat while mitigating its environmental impact.”
Beyond Artificial Meat
The team says this novel approach has several potential applications beyond the creation of meat alternatives. Injection molding provides an accessible and affordable means of producing unique materials that are uniquely scalable.
For example, the team’s production of artificial meats using their novel approach costs roughly a quarter of what achieving similar results using 3D printing methods would cost.
The team’s research also has environmental implications. Presently, livestock farming is responsible for close to one-third of the world’s freshwater consumption. Employing scalable and affordable methods of producing meat alternatives could potentially reduce that burden and contribute to a more sustainable food system overall.
Also significant to the consumer, the team’s innovation helps produce food products that are not only more sustainable but also enjoyable to eat.
The team’s new paper, “Metamaterial-Based Injection Molding for the Cost-Effective Production of Whole Cuts,” appeared in Nature Communications.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. He can be reached by email at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow his work at micahhanks.com and on X: @MicahHanks.
Kosher cheeseburgers???..............
Who is funding this and why do they think it’s desirable?
Soylent Corporation?...............
Kosher Crabbie Patties from the Crusty Crab!
(Spongebob humor)
I am not against research into this, but it would be a huge problem if it becomes mandatory
Once they make kosher and halal BACON a lot of the worlds problems will go away.
I prefer food, thanks anyhoo.
Have a nice day now.
Satan’s scientists.
Isn't that the very embodiment of "Frankenfoods"?
Urine - The average cow produces 3.5 gal. (13.2 liters) daily.
Manure Manure - A cow produces 65 lbs. (29.5 kg) of feces or manure daily - that’s 12 tons (908 kg) a year. A cow can poop up to 15 times a day.
https://fergusonfoundation.org/lessons/cow_in_out/cowmoreinfo.shtml
"You mean bad?"
Frank N. Foods Corporation, LLC..............
If they truly wanted the the Delta Smelt to be saved, all they had to do was make it a exotic pet or food source and you would have seen it bred by the millions and millions...........
Good Grief! Don’t the realize that even thieves won’t steal artificial meats? No one wants it, no one will eat it, yet there they go. Must be huge grants funding them.
RAISED ON A FARM.....
NO THANK YOU
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