Since the first meat burger created in a laboratory was presented in London in 2013, researchers around the world have joined a race to bring these products to the market at affordable prices. The latest news comes from South Korea, where scientists from Yonsei University have cultivated a new food with great nutritional properties. It is a meaty rice, whose grains are full of beef muscle and fat cells.
To make this beef alternative, the rice was coated with fish gelatin to help the meat cells adhere. The grains were then left in a Petri dish as a culture for 11 days. The result was that, thanks to the porosity of the grains, the cells successfully grew inside the rice. These Korean scientists have congratulated themselves on this achievement which, they predict, opens the door to a powerful and environmentally friendly nutritional source.
Hybrid rice has 8% more protein and 7% more fat than conventional rice. This food can serve as a hunger relief, military ration or even space food in the future, as explained by the team of researchers from Yonsei University in an article in Matter magazine.
This cell culture methodology eliminates the need to raise cattle and therefore the carbon footprint is notably lower than that of normal beef production. According to researcher Sohyeon Park, livestock farming is an activity that consumes many essential resources such as water and releases greenhouse gases. “For every 100 grams of protein produced, hybrid rice releases about 6 kilos of carbon dioxide, while beef production releases up to 50 kilos for the same amount,” says the expert in statements reported by the BBC.
Korean scientists are aware that the main challenge is, if succulent rice reaches the market, to convince consumers of the virtues of this food. Their main argument is that there is nothing synthetic in laboratory-grown meat, but rather it is made by growing natural cells.
However, Korean researchers are clear that, despite its positive impact on the diet and the environment, it is difficult to compete with beef in terms of taste. Furthermore, it is necessary to further improve the production method to turn hybrid rice into a true alternative source of protein.
