Researchers have created the first laboratory hamburger, obtained from stem cells taken from the shoulder of a cow.
It seems that for the first time we can talk about the creation of the first hamburger produced in the laboratory, and not – precisely – from the body of a cow, which could become the first step for the production of meat in a much more sustainable, saving animal suffering and with less environmental impact.
For its creation, researchers extracted stem cells from the shoulder of a cow. With them they created crops that, for three weeks, developed and multiplied. Then, these groups of cells were put into other containers in which these cells began to organize themselves into small strips of muscle, which eventually became hamburgers.
The result is more than evident: according to the nutrition expert, “it is something close to meat”; although the nutritionist missed the fat that tends to accompany the muscle itself in animal burgers.
Asked the researchers about the safety and risks of this product made in the laboratory, they assure that “it is the same tissue as the cow and it is meat”, so that “it does not have to be less safe than normal meat”.
Many advantages, not only economic but also environmental
Although it may seem difficult to think about it, the truth is that cows are inefficient when it comes to producing food: to produce 15 grams of animal protein, 100 grams of vegetable protein are required.
However, with the new system, since all variables are controlled, it is possible to improve efficiency, save space and reduce deforestation, in addition to all this would be done without producing methane as cows do.
In addition, and here is the most important thing, suffering would not be inflicted on animals, as is the case with the current way of producing meat.
