Lab grown pork from stem cells

19-01-2010 | Home | News

Dutch scientists have been successful in creating pork meat in a lab from the stem cells of pigs.

Reports state©that the lab grown meat does not yet resemble or taste much like pork (with the consistency of a scallop), the results could prove©to be a major landmark in the world’s food supply.

“If we took the stem cells from one pig and multiplied it by a factor of a million, we would need one million fewer pigs to get the same amount of meat,” said Mark Post, a biologist at Maastricht University involved in the project.

Slaughterhouses could be a thing of the past

This could mean that slaughterhouses in the future will no longer be needed. Global warming could be lowered by up to 95%, world hunger tackled -©a green alternative may be possible.

Concerns©©
Although there seem to be positive future aspects, there are also concerns regarding meat grown in a lab. Some health experts are concerned about dangers to human health. Also, less dependency in livestock could affect the agricultural ecosystems.

“Part of our enjoyment of eating meat depends on the very complicated muscle and fat structure… whether that can be replicated is still a question,” said biochemist Peter Ellis.

However, the researchers who are involved in the project believe that the benefits of the technology surpass the risks.

Source: mnn.com