A team of Dutch scientists led by Prof. Mark Post of Maastricht University held Monday the first-ever public testing of lab-grown hamburger meat.
The 5-ounce "Cultured Beef" burger, which reportedly cost around $332,000 to produce, was made with muscle cells taken from a cow and other common food ingredients such as salt, egg powder and breadcrumbs.
The cells were cultured in a laboratory and placed in a nutrient solution to create muscle tissue. The muscle cells grew into small strands of meat. Some 20,000 strands were needed to make the burger.
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According to the researchers, cultured beef could be the solution to the global hunger crisis and paves the way for more environmentally friendly food production.
“What we are going to attempt is important because I hope it will show Cultured Beef has the answers to major problems that the world faces,” said Post. “Our burger is made from muscle cells taken from a cow. We haven’t altered them in any way. For it to succeed it has to look, feel and hopefully taste like the real thing.”
