Oct 22, 2022 09:00:00

Is ``cultured meat'' artificially made by culturing animal cells more sustainable and healthier than actual meat?

In recent years, there has been concern about

the impact of greenhouse gases emitted from livestock on climate change, and in New Zealand, a plan to tax `` cow burps '' as a climate change countermeasure was announced and became a hot topic worldwide. Meanwhile, ' cultured meat ', which is produced by artificially culturing animal cells, is attracting attention along with plant meat as an alternative to existing meat. Scientific media Live Science summarizes the question of whether cultured meat is sustainable and what its impact on health is.

Lab-grown meat: How it's made, sustainability and nutrition | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/lab-grown-meat

◆ What is “cultured meat” produced in the laboratory?
Eric Schultz , vice president of product and regulation at UPSIDE Foods , a venture company that produces cultured meat, describes cultured meat as ``real meat made without the need to kill animals.'' ``The process of making cultured meat is similar to brewing beer in that it is an industrial cell culture process based on skilled fermentation techniques,'' Schultz said.

In cultured meat production, instead of growing yeast and bacteria in fermentation, animal cells taken from livestock such as cows and chickens are grown. The process of placing animal cells in a clean, controlled environment and administering nutrients to allow them to grow and mature naturally mimics the body of an animal to encourage cell growth. The cells proliferated in this way are processed in the same way as ordinary meat and shipped in a state suitable for eating.

Schultz argues that the cells in the cultivated meat process can continue to grow many times compared to normal animals, so it is expected to be a new method of meat production. ``In effect, you can grow a lot of animal meat over the years from just one animal cell,'' Schultz said.

◆Is cultured meat highly sustainable?
Greenhouse gases emitted by livestock

are said to account for 14.5% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, with cattle raised for beef and milk accounting for about 65% of that. It is said that there is. In addition, 15.414 liters of water is required to produce 1 kg of beef, and 80% of the world's farmland is used for cattle breeding, so it can be said that the environmental load caused by livestock breeding is quite high.

Research results that cultured meat that artificially proliferates animal cells does not need to breed livestock, so it may help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions (PDF file) , and energy consumption compared to conventional meat・Studies have reported that water and land use will be greatly reduced, leading to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. However, a 2020 paper concluded that ``cultured meat cannot be said to be superior to beef in terms of sustainability on a 1,000-year scale,'' and this point is still under discussion.

The research team that published the 2020 paper said, ``It is not yet clear whether cultured meat production can be a climate sustainable alternative. It depends on whether it can be produced and the specific environmental footprint that comes with production, ”he argues that a detailed and transparent life cycle assessment of cultivated meat production systems is necessary.

◆Is cultured meat good for health?
Cultured meat can be artificially altered in essential amino acids and fat profile, making it potentially healthier and more nutritious than conventional meat. In addition, cultured meat production does not require administration of antibiotics, so it is expected to be safer than livestock.

◆Can vegans eat cultured meat?
From a technical point of view, cultured meat is an excellent animal food because it is based on animal cells. Therefore, it cannot be said that the product can be eaten by vegans who cannot consume animal products.

◆ When will we be able to eat cultured meat?
Many people may think that cultured meat will be on the table in the distant future, but in 2021 UPSIDE Foods will establish a factory in California that can produce about 22 tons of cultured meat per year. In addition, an industrial facility has been opened in Israel to produce 500 kilograms of cultured meat per day.

The world's first cultured meat production facility is born in Israel, capable of producing 500 kg per day - GIGAZINE

At the time of writing, there are no cultured meat products available for purchase in the American market. However, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said, ``Manufacturers are working to scale up their processes to consistently produce sufficient quantities to make cultured meat competitively priced.'' 'We are working closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture 's Food Safety Inspection Service as these products approach the U.S. market,' he said, acknowledging that they are already discussing various types of cultivated meat products with companies. That's what I mean.