Mmmm, Test-Tube Hamburgers

Posted on Feb 20, 2012

Flickr / pointnshoot (CC-BY)

Old-school hamburger, with the works.

Here’s a new Frankenfood twist on classic cuisine: A team of scientists in the Netherlands are this close to producing a hamburger made of meat generated from stem cells. Soon, we will be able to enjoy the delicious taste of test-tube hamburgers and other prime laboratory-grade delicacies (but at a price).  —KA

The Telegraph:

Speaking at the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Vancouver yesterday afternoon (SUNDAY), Prof (Mark) Post said his team has successfully replicated the process with cow cells and calf serum, bringing the first artificial burger a step closer.

He said: “In October we are going to provide a proof of concept showing out of stem cells we can make a product that looks, feels and hopefully tastes like meat.”

Although it is possible to extract a limited number of stem cells from cows without killing them, Prof Post said the most efficient way of taking the process forward would still involve slaughter.

He said: “Eventually my vision is that you have a limited herd of donor animals in the world that you keep in stock and that you get your cells form there.”

Each animal would be able to produce about a million times more meat through the lab-based technique than through the traditional method of butchery, he added.

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