Company Uses Fetal Cells From Abortions for Artificial Flavors

LifeNews.com ^ | March 29, 2011 | Steven Ertelt

[julieee]

Company Uses Fetal Cells From Abortions for Artificial Flavors

Washington, DC -- A pro-life group that monitors the use of cells from babies victimized by abortions is today bashing the biotech company Senomyx, which it says produces artificial flavor enhancers using aborted fetal cell lines to test their products.

http://www.lifenews.com/2011/03/29/company-uses-fetal-cells-from-abortions-for-artificial-flavors/

[Mase]

I've spent 25 years in the flavor industry and am having a difficult time understanding this article, especially how these cells are being used and why. Why are they even using artificial receptors instead of human receptors? Have they been able to develop receptors that only taste salt, sweet, sour, etc?

Have they been able to create a system that determines the magnitude of how a chemical quantitatively affects one cell vs. another? Are they using this information to build a flavorant that balances salt, sweet, sour etc?

Are they trying to develop a system to measure taste without having to use humans and the inherent problems that occur with taste panels? If so, this is pretty stupid method for achieving that end. How did they get kidney cells to evolve into taste bud cells? If that's what they wanted to do, why didn't they just harvest taste bud cells from cadavers rather than using cells from aborted babies?

I must be missing something because one of the solutions offered was to use animals or insects. Well, you can't get human taste receptors from animals and insects don't have them in the first place. Lots of question, little information. The threatened boycott seems to have gotten the attention of Campbell's so there must be more here than this poorly written (and ridiculously titled) offers.

[Republic]

Here is the creepy company name that is engaged in this horror and here is the reason and listed are the companies paying for this crap and interested in using it in their products. (for the good for all of us....oh PLEASE!)

The company doing this research is called Senomyx.

Senomyx is doing this as a replacement for MSG, salt, sugar etc.... so it can be used in food and beverage products.

Their collaborators are PEPSICO, KRAFT, CAMPBELL SOUP, SOLAE and NESTLE. These collaborator companies are paying Senomyx in their quest to replace aforementioned sugar, salt and MSG developing savory, sweet and salt like flavors from this harvesting of babies' liver cells.

Senomyx claims it has created a proprietary taste receptor-based "assay system that provides a biochemical or electronic readout when a flavor ingredient interacts with isolated human taste receptors."

Debi Vinnedge, the woman behind this expose, is head of a pro-life organization that monitors the use of cells from victimized babies.

She has written to the companies paying for the research and production of flavor enhancers Senomyx is focused upon (and who also stand to gain from selling of these flavor enhancers) and has received, after repeated attempts, some responses.

The response from Nestle went as follows.

" Nestlé, finally admitted its relationship with Senomyx and company officials claimed the line of cells from abortions was “well established in scientific research”.

FOR USE IN OUR FOODS and DRINKS?

OH MY GOSH!

I guess these cells from aborted babies, in this case KIDNEY CELLS used in the production of flavor receptors, ARE GOING INTO OUR FOODS and BEVERAGES.

I AM FURIOUS!

HELLO SOYLENT GREEN!

And BTW-pepsico, Kraft, Campbell soups and I don't even know what the company SOLAE makes....are off my purchasing list. Geeeeeeez.

[spunkets]

"Is it from the kidneys? How does that work?"

A kidney contains many kinds of cells: connective, blood vessel, nerve... This is also an embryonic mix. The cell they grabbed to work with was an immature nerve.

[trisham]

I guess these cells from aborted babies, in this case KIDNEY CELLS used in the production of flavor receptors, ARE GOING INTO OUR FOODS and BEVERAGES.

*******************************

I don't believe that's what's happening, but perhaps spunkets can help us out here.

If I understand correctly, the cells are used in research to develop more effective enhancers, which is still terribly wrong.

[trisham]

Thanks, spunkets.

[trisham]

I thought it was Pepsi that was listed in the article.

[RichInOC]

“Ooh! Baby! My favorite flavor.”

[Dianna]

I guess these cells from aborted babies, in this case KIDNEY CELLS used in the production of flavor receptors, ARE GOING INTO OUR FOODS and BEVERAGES.

No, it sounds like they are using the fetal cells to do testing on flavors. Like testing the effectiveness of medicines on lab rats, we don't get lab rat in our meds.

[stansblugrassgrl]

No Coke - Pepsi.

[Republic]

It's PART of the kidney cell. A detail. It is harvesting off the little cells that form the liver of aborted babies, not for MEDICAL, or even HEALING, but to use for FREAKING FLAVOR enhancement. Aborted babies for sale, anyone? I mean-who pays for the bodies of these little murdered babies? Do abortion facilities make MONEY off the dead body?

What is the going rate for these little murdered babies? Is it a bulk offer or are they priced individually. Or are they simply given to anyone who wants to help them throw out their death bundles?

[trisham]

:)

[Republic]

So the electrical response of a cell tells them if it is a good flavor? So a baby’s liver cell can taste and this can be electronically broken down into flavors?

[trisham]

I understand that. You don’t have to yell at me.

[spunkets]

Re: "KIDNEY CELLS used in the production of flavor receptors, ARE GOING INTO OUR FOODS and BEVERAGES."

"If I understand correctly, the cells are used in research to develop more effective enhancers,

The cells are used as the sensor elements of a machine that responds to a substance's flavor properties. The cells are in no way used for flavoring. They're exclusively used as sensor elements in lab equipment.

[trisham]

Do you understand that the cells are not actually in the food or drink?

[Republic]

Well-glad to know this, at least in terms of what goes into our foods. I envisioned growing these cells and selling them off as some sort of food additive.

Should I ask the mod to take my incorrect post off?

I interpreted it wrongly, after going to several websites. My duh.

Trisham-I was not yelling at you. I apologize for my handi'cap'. I have had a caps problems for as long as I have been on FR. My bad. It was emphasis, not yelling.

I still do NOT LIKE using babies dead little bodies to further such research. It makes me sick.

[Republic]

Please note post #36. Thanks.

[trisham]

Thanks, Republic. :)

[Mase]

The cells are used as the sensor elements of a machine that responds to a substance's flavor properties.

How can kidney cells sense salt, sweet, sour and bitter? How do they do this without first evolving into taste bud cells?

[spunkets]

"How can kidney cells sense salt, sweet, sour and bitter? How do they do this without first evolving into taste bud cells? "

These cells are neurons and all that's needed is the appropriate receptor functionality. They're only interested in salty, sweet and umami. Umami is the fifth taste sensation and is the taste of glutamate. This neuron has glutamate receptors and sodium channels. The sodium channels respond to salt. I'm not sure about the sweetness receptors, but it wouldn't be much of a chore to provide that functionality from what's already present.