Is lab meat the key to the planet's sustainability?

Meat is a fundamental ingredient in the diet of many people in countries around the world. However, the agricultural sector generates an unprecedented environmental impact and, therefore, new technologies are studied to overcome this problem.

It was from there that scientists created the synthetic meat, an option made in the laboratory to reduce emissions of CO₂ and without the need to slaughter an animal.

How is synthetic meat made?

With increases in CO₂ emission rates and the worsening of the greenhouse effect, it was necessary to create more sustainable alternatives for meat consumption.

One of them is meat that is not of animal origin, synthetic meat, produced without the need to raise cattle, with the advantage of being sustainable and not harming animals.

The process is carried out from muscle cells removed from the animal, which are then nourished to develop into larger tissues and form meat. It is worth noting that it is a painless and safe procedure for the animal, which does not need to be slaughtered.

Limitations of the technique

After all, if there is the advantage of being produced without the need to kill the animal, why isn't it consumed on a large scale? There are some main reasons, such as the high cost of carrying out this production and the non-standardization of the process, which prevents it from being carried out on an industrial scale, factors that culminate in high prices of the product.

Regarding the production itself, it is an extremely new process and, therefore, cheaper forms of production have not yet been created. It is a complex procedure, as it requires expensive reagents and has low productivity.

There is still the difficulty of expanding to large scales, which is the true intention, that is, it has not yet been standardized for an industrial scale.

But does it taste the same as traditional meat?

In theory, it should have, as it is a tissue taken from the animal itself, but grown in the laboratory.

However, the conditions to which the muscle is exposed are different in a laboratory and in livestock farming, something that scientists have not yet been able to recreate.

This is the main reason why synthetic meat often tastes a little different from traditional meat, according to most consumers.