• Question: Can we make man made meat from protein cells?

    Asked by dan2 to Lisa on 2 Jul 2012.
    • Photo: Lisa Fitzgerald

      Lisa Fitzgerald answered on 2 Jul 2012:

      hi @dan2

      An artist attempted this as we can grow many different types of cells, including muscle (which is the meaty bit we eat) from stem cells using protein as a source of food. Unfortunately when his critics ate the meat they said it tasted foul! This is likely because our muscle cells only form how they are because we contently put them under stress and strain. Without these external strains the cells just formed as undifferentiated lumps.

      If the need to stress the cells during growth was taken into account however, yes we probably could. As the cells would likely “eat” different things to your average cow I’m still not sure how it would taste though!

      Thanks!

      Lisa

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