Science Tokyo researchers create beefier cultured steak

[thomas]

Cultured meat, also known as cultivated meat, is a form of cellular agriculture where meat is produced by culturing animal cells in vitro. Cultured meat is produced using tissue engineering techniques pioneered in regenerative medicine. Jason Matheny popularized the concept in the early 2000s after co-authoring a paper on cultured meat production and creating New Harvest, the world's first non-profit organization dedicated to in-vitro meat research. Cultured meat has the potential to mitigate the environmental impact of meat production and address issues regarding animal welfare, food security and human health.
Wikipedia

Photo credit: Takeuchi Shoji (Univ. of Tokyo)​

Japanese researchers have unveiled a groundbreaking lab-grown steak that looks incredibly realistic. The 1.5-centimetre-thick slice, created by scientists from the University of Tokyo and other institutions, is a significant step forward in cultured meat. The researchers have been working on this project since 2017, with support from Nissin Foods and other companies. While the photo is promising, the ultimate test will be how it tastes.

Researchers from institutions, including the University of Tokyo, released a single photo of the 1.5-centimetre-thick steak that they had grown in a lab at a research reporting conference on Aug. 29. The red meat looked tender and was complete with white sinews of fat. It was reported to weigh about 30 grams and measure 5.5 cm by 4 cm across. Shoji Takeuchi, a tissue engineering expert and professor at the Tokyo institution's Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, announced the announcement. Since 2017, he has been working on cultured meat with the support of Nissin Foods Holdings Co. and others. The team used muscle cells taken from cows. After finely chopping them to pieces, it took the cells about a week of culturing to grow to around 100 million. Ground meat made from cultured cells mixed with binding agents already exists, but the researchers aim to cultivate steak meat in a form that feels close to real meat when eaten.

According to Takeuchi, when they were cooking the cultivated meat in the lab, the smell was so convincing that those in neighboring labs asked if they were preparing "yakiniku" Japanese-style barbecue. Unfortunately, the taste was not like real beef; it was "a flavour that cannot be put into words."

'Meating' demand: Tokyo researchers create beefier 'cultured steak,' but how's it taste? - The Mainichi

TOKYO -- Cultured meat is being researched both overseas and within Japan as an alternative to livestock to meet the world's fast-rising demand for me

mainichi.jp

 

[mdchachi]

"a flavour that cannot be put into words."

Instead of first aiming to replace steak maybe they can use it to replace foods that are already heavily processed such as hot dogs or chicken nuggets. Those "foods" are full of all kinds of additives and flavor enhancers already.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

To be fair, hot dogs and chicken nuggets are largely made from less desirable cuts of meat, so they do serve a purpose to waste less of the animals.

Personally, I would be more likely to go vegetarian than to eat lab-grown meat if that was the only meat available. As it is, I try to avoid ultra-processed foods (UPF) when possible. Lab grown meat is not what one usually thinks of when talking about UPF, but it's hardly natural.

People in general would do well to cut down on meat consumption. Kudos to them for making progress in their research, but no thanks.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

I thought I would starve to death in Japan when off the base. I was a super finicky eater who hated seafood , rice , noodles , vegetables and always looked for places off base that had either chicken or steak. When I left Japan after 2 years , I weighed just 97 pounds.

 

[Achilles 1-1]

I thought I would starve to death in Japan when off the base. I was a super finicky eater who hated seafood , rice , noodles , vegetables and always looked for places off base that had either chicken or steak. When I left Japan after 2 years , I weighed just 97 pounds.

Damn grandpa frank. See, I don't like Japanese cuisine much either (except for Ramen and chicken!), but I'm not dropping down to 97 pounds trying to avoid new foods.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

Marriage seems to have made a difference , LOL. I'm now a chubby 195 pounds.

 

[Achilles 1-1]

Marriage seems to have made a difference , LOL. I'm now a chubby 195 pounds. View attachment 120278

I'm around 160 pounds. (I'm fourteen, and 6 foot 2, THATS AVERAGE WEIGHT OKAY!?) so I'm catching up to you!