In vitro meat 511626 222215855 2008-06-28T03:40:00Z 24.60.249.119 /* Massacre of farm livestocks */ stupid, citation needed. {{nofootnotes|date=March 2008}} '''In vitro meat''', also known as '''laboratory-grown meat''' or '''cultured meat''', is [[animal]] flesh that has never been part of a complete, living animal. As of May [[As of 2003|2003]], some [[scientist]]s are [[experiment]]ally growing ''in vitro'' meat in [[laboratory|laboratories]], but no meat has been produced yet for public consumption. Potentially, any [[animal]] could be a source of [[cell (biology)|cells]] for ''in vitro'' meat. As with most experimental products manufactured on the laboratory scale, the current cost of ''in vitro'' meat is prohibitive, but industrial production would be much cheaper. For ''in vitro'' meat, costs only apply to the meat production, whereas for traditional meat, costs include animal raising and environmental protection (meaning there are fewer [[negative externalities]] associated with in vitro meat). However, it is not yet known whether ''in vitro'' meat can be made [[economic]]ally [[competition|competitive]] with traditional meat. In vitro meat should not be confused with [[imitation meat]], which can be a [[vegetarian food]] product produced from [[vegetable]] [[protein]], usually from [[soy]] or [[gluten]]. The terms ''synthetic meat'' and ''artificial meat'' are synonymous, as they may refer to either. ==Process and patent== [[Meat]] essentially consists of animal [[muscle]]. There are, loosely, two approaches for production of ''in vitro'' meat; loose [[muscle cell]]s and structured muscle, the latter one being vastly more challenging than the former. Muscles consist of [[muscle fiber]]s, long cells with multiple [[Cell nucleus|nuclei]]. They don't proliferate by themselves, but arise when precursor cells fuse. Precursor cells can be [[embryonic stem cells]] or [[satellite cells]], specialized stem cells in muscle tissue. Theoretically, they can be relatively simple to culture in a [[bioreactor]] and then later made to fuse. For the growth of real muscle however, the cells should grow "on the spot", which requires a perfusion system akin to a blood supply to deliver nutrients and oxygen close to the growing cells, as well as remove the waste products. In addition other cell types need to be grown like [[adipocytes]], and chemical messengers should provide clues to the growing tissue about the structure. Lastly, muscle tissue needs to be trained to properly develop. In [[2001]], [[dermatology|dermatologist]] Wiete Westerhof from the [[University of Amsterdam]] and businessmen Willem van Eelen and Willem van Kooten announced that they had filed for a worldwide [[patent]] on a process to produce ''in vitro'' meat (patent number [http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?IDX=WO9931222 WO9931222]). A [[Matrix (biology)|matrix]] of [[collagen]] is seeded with [[muscle]] [[cell (biology)|cells]], which are then bathed in a nutritious solution and induced to divide. Jon F. Vein of the United States secured a patent (US 6,835,390 B1) for the production of tissue engineered meat for human consumption, wherein muscle and fat cells would be grown in an integrated fashion to create food products such as beef, poultry and fish. ==Arguments in favor== ===Reduced animal suffering=== In vitro meat may appeal to [[animal welfare]] advocates and others concerned about animal well-being. Replacing traditional meat with ''in vitro'' meat has the potential to reduce or eliminate food-animal suffering. Advocates such as [[Peter Singer]] and [[Ingrid Newkirk]] have endorsed the idea. Some [[ethical vegetarian]]s may consider it an acceptable part of their diet, whereas some may still see the duplication of cells donated from otherwise unharmed animals as abuse. ''See'' "[[#Animals are still used|Animals are still used]]", ''below.'' ===Health=== In vitro meat may be cleaner and less prone to [[disease]] than animals, provided that donor cells are not contaminated. With relatively simple isolation procedures, economically damaging culls could also be avoided. The ''in vitro'' meat would also be free from the [[growth hormone]]s and [[antibiotic]]s that are fed to many animals in intensive [[factory farming]]. In part because the fat content of meats could be brought more fully under our control, and also because other chemical constituents could be altered to produce the best nutrient balance, meat could be made a healthier product than at present. There is also the benefit that there are no bones involved in this form of production, which are often removed from real meat for convenience. This also reduces the risk of [[choking]]. ===Environment=== The negative environmental consequences of traditional meat production, such as [[nitrate]] contamination and [[methane]] production, are reduced.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2191705/ |title=Will Lab-Grown Meat Save the Planet? Or is it only good for cows and pigs? |first=Brendan I. |last=Koerner |publisher=Slate |date=2008-05-20}}</ref> While there will be some byproducts in the process of creating the nutrients to grow the cells, the environmental damage should still be lessened. Less of the animal would be wasted. ===Space food=== On long [[outer space|space]] voyages or stays, ''in vitro'' meat could be grown alongside [[hydroponics|hydroponic]] [[vegetable]]s. ===Increase in consumer choice and reductions in cost of production=== Many kinds of animals are far too expensive to produce by the conventional [[agribusiness]] industries, even through factory farming (lions, for example). In part, this is due to some of these animals being "[[secondary consumers]]" — this denotes an animal that generally relies on other animals for sustenance. The energy in the flesh of their prey comes from the vegetation it ate while living, which in turn came from sunlight. Each transfer of energy from one living being to another is [[inefficient]]; only a small fraction of the available energy is carried over. To farm these kinds of animals would mean farming enough vegetation to feed the primary consuming animals to feed the secondary consuming animals to feed us, which is expensive. Yet with ''in vitro'' grown flesh, it is possible to greatly increase the variety of flesh available on the market, since the energy is supplied directly via a "[[perfusion]] system", as described above. For this and other reasons, it is predicted that ''in vitro'' flesh would cost much less to produce than factory or free-range farmed animal flesh, and the production industries would not need to be given the massive subsidies that are given to many agribusiness industries in the west today. ==Arguments against== ===Animals are still used=== Animals are still used as tools in multiple steps. For example, current cell and tissue culture almost always use newborn or [[fetus|fetal]] calf [[blood serum|serum]] (or other animal sources, such as [[pituitary gland|pituitary]] extracts) to provide the growth factors the cells need to signal them to divide. However, animals would not have to be killed in the process, which greatly reduces the ethical implications of eating meat. ===Artificiality=== Consumers whose preference is whole and unprocessed food may find such a high-technology approach to food production distasteful, for reasons aesthetic, cultural, or ethical. On the other hand, some may prefer the consumption of ''in vitro'' meat to the slaughter of live animals, and it may be argued that the current industrial meat production infrastructure is "unnatural" and puts a bigger strain on the planet's natural resources than does growing meat cells artificially. Moreover, a range of highly processed non-meat food products, such as [[textured vegetable protein]], has been available to many Western consumers for decades. ===Quality, safety, health=== People may be concerned that ''in vitro'' meat is of lesser [[quality]] than traditional meat, and that there are unresolved [[health]] risks. However, like any [[food]] product, ''in vitro'' meat would be required to pass through many [[safety]] and [[health]] [[experiment|trials]] before it could be sold. Also, this question is one of the main focuses of scientists working on ''in vitro'' meat, and they aim to produce healthier meat than conventional meat, most notably by reducing its fat content and controlling nutrients. For example, most meats are high in saturated fat, which can cause high cholesterol and other health problems. With ''in vitro'' meat, saturated fat might be replaced by [[Omega 3]], which is more healthy. ===Differences from traditionally produced meat=== If ''in vitro'' meat is different in [[appearance]], [[taste]], [[odor|smell]], [[Texture (food)|texture]] and other factors; this may reduce its appeal. The lack of fat and bone may also be a disadvantage, for these parts make appreciable culinary contributions. Many food items, such as [[surimi]], designed to substitute for other ingredients (for reasons from morality to expense) have become independently sought out for their own properties. == Research == ==== Challenges ==== At the moment, hardly any serious research has been made on the subject of ''in vitro'' meat. There are several obstacles to overcome if it has any chance of succeeding. * Proliferation of muscle cells: Although it is not very difficult to make stem cells divide, for meat production it is necessary that they divide at a quick pace. This requirement has some overlap with the medical branch of [[tissue engineering]]. * Culture medium: Proliferating cells need a food source to grow and develop. The growth medium should be a well-balanced mixture of ingredients and growth factors. Depending on the motives of the researchers, the growth medium has additional requirements. ** Commercial: The growth medium should be cheap to produce. ** Environmental: The production of the growth medium shouldn't have a negative impact on the environment. This means that the production should be energetically favorable. Additionally, the ingredients should come from completely renewable sources. Minerals from mined sources are in this case not possible, as are synthetically produced nutrients which use non-renewable sources. ** Animal welfare: The growth medium should be devoid of animal sources, although they may initially be more useful than other sources. * Bioreactors: Nutrients and oxygen need to be delivered close to each growing cell, on the scale of millimeters. In animals this job is handled by [[blood vessel]]s. A bioreactor should emulate this function in an efficient manner. The usual approach is the creation of a sponge-like matrix in which the cells can grow, and perfusing it with the growth medium. ==== Initiatives ==== Probably the first research into ''in vitro'' meat was performed by M. A. Benjaminson from [[Touro College]]. His research group managed to grow muscle tissue from goldfish in a laboratory setting with several kinds of growth media. In 2004, a group of researchers started the non-profit organization [http://www.new-harvest.org/ New Harvest], with the goal of promoting research into ''in vitro'' meat. Among the founders are [[Jason Matheny]] and Vladimir Mironov. According to their website cultured meat in a processed form, like sausage, hamburger, or chicken nuggets may become commercially available within several years. In April 2005, a research project into cultured meat started in The Netherlands. It is carried out under the lead of Henk Haagsman at the [[University of Amsterdam]], the [[Eindhoven University of Technology]] and [[Utrecht University]], in cooperation with sausage manufacturer Stegeman. The Dutch government granted a two million euro subsidy for the project. In Amsterdam the culture medium is studied, while the University of Utrecht studies the proliferation of muscle cells and the Eindhoven university will research bioreactors. On April 21, 2008, [[PETA]] announced a one-million dollar [[x-prize]] style reward for the first group to successfully produce synthetic meat that is comparable to and commercial viable against naturally sourced meat products. ==In fiction== * In the book ''[[Neuromancer]]'' ([[1984]]) by [[William Gibson]], artificial meat, called vatgrown flesh, is mentioned as food sold in stores, cheaper than meat from living animals. * In ''[[The Space Merchants]]'' ([[1952]]) by [[Frederik Pohl]] and [[Cyril M. Kornbluth|C.M. Kornbluth]], artificial meat is grown in huge lumps tens of metres in diameter, workmen walking on top of it harvest slices with big knives. * In ''[[Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand]]'' ([[1984]]) by [[Samuel R. Delany]], the main character's culture uses vat-grown meat cultured from humans as the primary protein source. Interaction between this culture and cultures using 'natural' meat are (briefly) explored. * [[Claude Zidi]]'s [[1976]] [[comedy film]] ''[[L'aile ou la cuisse]]'' starring [[Louis de Funès]] as top-notch [http://wiktionary.org/wiki/Gourmet gourmet] and [[Julien Guiomar]] as the infamous Tricatel who secretly produces artificial food. * In [[Assimilating our Culture, That's What they're Doing!]], one of [[Larry Niven]]'s short stories set in the [[Draco Tavern]], a man who visits the tavern is depressed by the fact that he has licensed his own genome to an alien race, who are mass-producing headless clones of him for the meat market on their home planet. * The [[Bob the Angry Flower]] strips, [http://angryflower.com/vegeta.gif The Vegetarian's Dilemma] and [http://www.angryflower.com/meatsh.html Meat Sheets]. * In the short story collection "The State of the Art" by Iain M. Banks, one of the stories includes a party where the main course is vat grown meat from cells of notable human villains and megalomaniacs, with "stewed Idi Amin" and "Richard Nixon Burgers" among others. * In [[Margaret Atwood]]'s [[Oryx and Crake]], 'Chicky Knobs' were chickens with only a mouth and a digestive tract that were genetically engineered for meat products. * Although not called "''in vitro'' meat", the creation of zombification in the [[Xbox 360]] game [[Dead Rising]] was the result of US scientists trying to mass produce meat for consumption. The engineered wasps that were to facilitate this escaped from the Santa Cabeza complex and 'zombified' the populace, resulting in military intervention. Two of the survivors of that incident, Carlito and Isabella Keyes, started a new outbreak in the Southwest town of Willamette in revenge, where the game takes place. * A popular [[urban legend]] describes a [[genetically engineered]] vat-grown creature, dubbed "Animal 57", as the source of meat for various [http://www.geo-pie.cornell.edu/media/kfc.html fast-food chains]. * In [[Rudy Rucker]] [[Ware Tetralogy]] almost all of the meat was tank grown, including human meat. == See also == * ''[[Brave New World]]'' * [[Cell culture]] * [[Genetic modification]] * [[Hydroponics]] * ''[[Soylent Green]]'' * [[Tissue culture]] * [[Tissue engineering]] * [[In vitro toxicology]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * [http://l2.espacenet.com/espacenet/viewer?PN=WO9931222&CY=ep&LG=en&DB=EPD Patent WO9931222] "Industrial Scale Production of Meat from ''in vitro'' Cell Cultures" * [http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20060029922.html Patent 20060029922] "Industrial production of meat - A meat product containing ''in vitro'' produced animal cells in a three dimensional form and a method for producing the meat product" * [http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992066 "Fish fillets grow in tank"], New Scientist * [http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993208 "Lab-grown steaks nearing the menu"], New Scientist * [http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/12/31/1425214&mode=thread "Lab-grown steak"], Slashdot discussion * [http://www.tca.uwa.edu.au/disembodied/dis.html "Semi-Living Food: Disembodied Cuisine"], The Tissue Culture & Art Project * [http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,15849954-23109,00.html "New hamburgers grown in laboratory"], News.com.au **NOTA: Today is 21 December 2005. This message is in the page: Due to copyright restrictions, this story is no longer available at NEWS.com.au. * [http://www.new-harvest.org/default.php "Advancing Meat Substitutes"], New Harvest * [http://www.futurefood.org/in-vitro-meat/index_en.php In vitro meat on "FutureFood - Meat without livestock"] * [http://www.reactivereports.com/47/47_1.html "Lending Muscle to Artificial Meat Production"], Reactive Reports * [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/11/magazine/11ideas_section2-9.html In Vitro Meat], [[New York Times]] * M.A. Benjaminson ''et al'' (2002). ''In vitro'' edible muscle protein production system (mpps): stage 1, fish. Acta Astronautica 51 (12): 879-889. * P.D. Edelman ''et al'' (2005). [http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/ten.2005.11.659 Commentary: ''In Vitro''-Cultured Meat Production]. Tissue Engineering 11 (5-6): 659-662. * ''[http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/38755/ Would You Eat Lab-Grown Meat?]'', Traci Hukill, [[AlterNet]] (12 July 2006) * [http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060713-090855-1046r ''Scientist seeks burger investors''] * [http://www.peta.org/feat_in_vitro_contest.asp ''PETA announces In Vitro X-Prize''] * [http://heybryan.org/mediawiki/index.php/Meat_on_a_stick Loose technical notes on in vitro meat] [[Category:Animal rights]] [[Category:Meat]] [[Category:Meat substitutes]] [[nl:Kweekvlees]]