In-Vitro Meat

[Monster]

In-vitro meat could become an alternative to livestock breeding (Slashdot) :

"Within the last decade, many of us have experienced the encroachment of ethics into our mealtime. Phrases such as vegetarian, vegan, organic, bST, GMO, etc. have become part of common grocery store advertising. The most recent addition to the list of ethically charged food is in-vitro meat, or meat that was cultured in a petri dish, and was never part of a live animal. The project has been brought to fruition by Mark Post, a biologist at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands. Grown using animal stem-cells on a nutrient medium, the nearly see-through strips of muscle would need to be stacked nearly 3,000 times to approach the thickness of a burger. The practice promises to be more humane, sustainable, and efficient than conventional meats, with one analysis suggesting it would, 'use 35 to 60 percent less energy, emit 80 to 95 percent less greenhouse gas and use around 98 percent less land.' In a world where nearly half of all crop production is used to feed livestock, a move towards artificial meat may be inevitable."

Reuters article :

(Reuters) - Scientists are cooking up new ways of satisfying the world's ever-growing hunger for meat.

"Cultured meat" -- burgers or sausages grown in laboratory Petri dishes rather than made from slaughtered livestock -- could be the answer that feeds the world, saves the environment and spares the lives of millions of animals, they say.

 

[bluediamond]

In vitro meat, also known as cultured meat, is an animal flesh product that has never been part of a complete, living animal. It has been described, sometimes derisively, as "laboratory-grown" meat. In vitro meat should not be confused with imitation meat, which is a vegetarian food product produced from vegetable protein, usually from soy or gluten. The terms "synthetic meat" and "artificial meat" may refer to either. In vitro meat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Would this kind of meat be good for us to eat?

 

[Monster]

I don't know. At least it has been prophesied in science-fiction since the 1930ies!

It might be that artificial meat doesn't contain enough original biological matter to provide our body with the right kinds of nutrients. Perhaps insects as a food source of protein might be a better alternative (it can be turned to something akin to steak, as well).

Expanding into space using landscaped spacecraft might be an even better alternative ... then population growth wouldn't be an issue. But on Earth, capacity is somewhat limited.

 

[bluediamond]

Just not sure how to feel about this kind of meat to be safe for us to eat yet. Need to do more research.