Scientists Develop New Method For Lab-Grown Meat

Researchers in Japan claim to have had a “breakthrough” in the cultivation of lab-grown meat.

Lab-grown chicken | Credit: Shoji Takeuchi

We all know that we are supposed to be eating less meat, primarily because of the significant quantities of land and water needed for animal livestock. Lab-grown meat is endeavouring to become a popular replacement by providing a more environmentally friendly alternative as it requires a fraction of the amount of land and water to produce results.

However, thus far, despite there being many enterprises exploring the production of lab-grown meat and fish, the cost of scaling up has been prohibitive. Consumers are unlikely to switch unless prices in the shops are at least reasonably comparative.

The scientists in Japan say that a new method, which involves feeding cells oxygen and nutrients through hollow fibres, offers scope for significantly scaling the production of cultivated meat - a key barrier for the fledgling industry. The hollow fibre bioreactor paves the way for whole cuts of chicken, beef, pork and fish to be grown in the lab, researchers believe. They reported their findings in Trends in Biotechnology.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo claim their solution “has the potential to revolutionise cultured meat production”. They believe that, with sufficient funding, products based on their approach could be available in 5 to 10 years.

Prof Derek Stewart of the James Hutton Institute, a Scottish research initiative, told the Guardian: “This looks like a transformative step, it’s a really elegant solution.”