Cultivated Food Brand Introduces Pork Sausage Grown From One Cell
Image via Meatable
Have you ever wondered about the mystery meat that goes into your sausages and chicken nuggets? Well, over at Meatable, all it takes is a single cell sample.
With its proprietary ‘opti-ox’ technology, a process it’s been working on since its launch in 2018, the Delft, Netherlands-based food startup has successfully created a pork sausage that’s cruelty-free and far lower in emissions.
Previously only unveiling a raw variation of this synthetic sausage back in March, Meatable has now shared its first images of a cooked cultivated sausage, having developed a version that’s ready for tasting. Photos and footage of this invention have been published on TechCrunch.
Lab-grown meat company Meatable showcases its cultivated sausages https://t.co/bc5xgtQyvF by @psawers
— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) July 20, 2022
No animals were hurt in the production of theses pork sausages!
— fillifo (@phillop8) July 20, 2022
Dutch company ‘Meatable’ reveal progress made in laboratory grown meat. Good idea?…I say yes. I’d have no problem trying the product. pic.twitter.com/LURj4tBKqh
Drawing from one single cell sample, the firm is able to clone the natural growth of animal muscle and fat without relying on fetal bovine serum (FBS). The result is a sausage with a flavor, texture, and structure that’s identical to real pork.
Better yet, Meatable’s pork sausage sizzles just like traditional sausages. “This is because it isn’t like meat; it is real meat,” notes the brand on its website.
By growing meat in a lab, manufacturers would be able to adjust the product’s nutritional value to the preferences of consumers, such as by cutting out harmful fat, keeping it free from antibiotics, and fortifying its with more vitamins and mineral, Forbes reports.
Food tech companies have been racing to come up with alternatives, including plant-based options, that take the farm out of the equation, citing significant environmental gains. According to Meatable, the farmed meat industry is responsible for 14% of the world’s global emissions, but cultivated meat could push these down by up to 92%.
Having a ready cultivated-meat option is one thing. So far, Singapore is the only country in the world that has legalized the sale of lab-grown meat, so you probably won’t be seeing Meatable sausages alongside farm-grown sausages in meat chillers anytime soon.
The Dutch House of Representatives, however, voted in March to approve the tasting of cultured meat in controlled environments. Meatable’s founders Krijn de Nood, Daan Luining, and Mark Kotter have leveraged this motion by tasting the cooked sausage themselves, which explains why they’re so convinced the product is ready for the market.
As it waits for regulations to be lifted on a wider scale, the company hopes to unleash cultivated meat products in stores by 2025, at least in the Netherlands. Lab-grown beef and chicken might be on the horizon too, as they can be produced without any changes to Meatable’s technology.
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[via TechCrunch, Green Queen, Forbes, images via various sources]
