MASSTRICHT, The Netherlands—Researchers at Maastricht University are working to create the world’s first “test-tube" hamburger grown from stem cells extracted from cattle. The discovery may help ease the world’s meat consumption, which is expected to double by 2050 as the population increases.
The in vitro meat, burgers grown from 10,000 stem cells extracted from cattle that are left alone to multiply over 1 billion times, eventually produce tissue similar to beef. As reported by the Daily Mail, the researchers estimate 50,000 tons of meat can be produced by an initial 10 stem cells in just a few months. In vitro pork strips and fish fillets already have been grown in the lab; however, the cultured products haven’t looked appetizing or tasted like their natural counterparts.
