Academic Paper Says Edible Meat Can be Grown in a Lab on Industrial Scale

gizmag ^ | July 15, 2005 | By Mike Hanlon

[Flavius]

Experiments for NASA space missions have shown that small amounts of edible meat can be created in a lab. But the technology that could grow chicken nuggets without the chicken, on a large scale, may not be just a science fiction fantasy.

In a recent paper in the Tissue Engineering journal, a team of scientists has proposed two new techniques of tissue engineering that may one day lead to affordable production of in vitro - lab grown - meat for human consumption. It is the first peer-reviewed discussion of the prospects for industrial production of cultured meat.

[Flavius]

[cripplecreek]

Any word on whether inedible meat can be grown in a lab?

[SkyDancer]

So what are they (the farmers) going to do? Kill off all their livestock? Where ya going to get leather for shoes and belts and footballs from, huh?? Huh??

[beethovenfan]

Son of Soylent Green,

[Teflonic]

Would that be Kosher?

[MacMattico]

Mmm... Not!

If meat is murder, are we growing murder in a lab now?

[twyn1]

yeah, creepy!

[muir_redwoods]

Presumably the same process could genetically engineer in all the omega 3 and other goodies one wants and get rid of the cholesterol and undesirable stuff. Sounds worthwhile to me.

[SIDENET]

Any word on whether inedible meat can be grown in a lab?

MMM...that's the best kind.

[JoeProBono]

PLEASE DONATE

[exDemMom]

Oh, don’t worry about that.

In order to grow cells in a lab, one must have quantities of serum. Usually it’s fetal calf serum, although, for some applications, newborn calf or other serum types will suffice.

Fetal calves are obtained when their mothers are slaughtered. So you still get the meat and leather.

This may be a technological wonder, but I don’t see how it could possibly be ramped up to produce enough for a food supply—even if people were willing to eat laboratory products—since the supplies needed are so expensive. I’ve used thousands of dollars worth of fetal calf serum during my career; I doubt I’ve grown enough cells to make even a pound of meat.

[GAB-1955]

H. Beam Piper used to call this “carniculture” in his novels. It's a good idea.

[cripplecreek]

MEAT IS MURDER......(sometimes)

[SkyDancer]

Yea, and probably some eco-terrorist group will burn the lab down anyway. But I see your point.

[screaminsunshine]

We are all Lab Rats now.

[digger48]

[digger48]

Where ya going to get leather for shoes and belts and footballs from, huh?? Huh??

They'll skin grandma and tan her hide.

[TASMANIANRED]

Soylent green.

[cripplecreek]

[SUSSA]

It’s called Soylent Green.