Scientists have grown meat in the laboratory for the first time. Experts in Holland (where else?) used cells from a live pig to replicate growth in a Petri dish.
Stalker wondered if perhaps this might have future negative ramifications for the mushroom industry and the fresh produce in particular.
It might seem farfetched, but a synthetic meat maybe well supplant demand of mushrooms from vegetarians and vegans, who often use mushrooms to beef up stews and to add proteins and vitamins to their meals which they cannot get with only vegetable matter.
Already Quorn exists which no doubt reduces demand to some extent for fresh fungus from the veggie sector. A synthetic meat would likely be deemed on the menu by veggies, and thus mushrooms could see a fall in demand.
The glint of hope for mushroom demand thus far, in the brave new world of synthetic meat, is that scientists have been slow to actually taste the meat produced, as it goes against laboratory rules.
It all sounds highly unappetizing though: “They initially extracted cells from the muscle of a live pig. Called myoblasts, these cells are programmed to grow into muscle and repair damage in animals. The cells were then incubated in a solution containing nutrients to encourage them to multiply indefinitely. This nutritious “broth” is derived from the blood products of animal foetuses, although the intention is to come up with a synthetic solution.”
Although some guinea pig will have to taste the sticky muscle tissue at some point, it is unlikely that the synthameat will be in shops or on tables anytime soon.
Mind you, it is another step toward that sci-fi future that seemed so far away, not so long ago.
