It’s supposed to look like red jello, though scientists hope this ancient invention could revolutionize meat

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Do you want that burger medium unusual, well-made, or lab-grown?

South Korean researchers say they have developed an ancient alternative to making lab-grown meat style the real deal. It should look like a clear, bubble gum pink disk, though scientists hope it will revolutionize beef on the country’s plates. ,

Lab-grown meat – also called cultured meat or cell-based meat – is on the rise as an addition to traditional meat, providing the same dietary benefits and sensory pleasures without the carbon footprint.

It is created by growing animal cells directly in the laboratory on 3-D buildings called “scaffolds” that allow the cells to multiply, eliminating the need for husbandry and livestock.

Scientists have created everything from cultured meatballs to 3-D unfolded steaks. As some of the older iterations of cultured red meat have mimicked the texture and appearance of the real thing, according to an ancient study, they’ve lost sight of one key ingredient: flavor.

However, in a study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, researchers say they have cracked the code, developing a polished meat that produces “grilled beef flavor when cooked.”

“Taste is the most important thing for accepting cultured meat as real,” Mila Lee, a PhD scholar in the section of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Seoul’s Yonsei College and co-author of the paper, told CNN.

To mimic the distinctive meat flavor, Lee and his colleagues recreated the flavors produced during the Maillard reaction – a chemical reaction that occurs between amino acids and reducing sugar when heat is added, giving the burgers a delicious, charred flavor. Get the taste.

They do this by introducing a variable flavor compound into a gelatin-based hydrogel, known as a functional scaffold, which Lee describes as “the basic structure of cultured meat.”

The flavor compound, which is composed of a flavor staff and two binding teams, remains within the scaffold until heated. When it is cooked for 5 minutes at a temperature of 150 °C (302 °F), it “turns on”, releasing the meat flavor in a replication of the Maillard reaction, Lee said.

Since cultured meat is not yet safe to eat, researchers used a digital nose, which humans can smell, to examine the aromas of cultured meat, and to see how they compare to conventional meat. “Imitates the nasal system of”.

To learn about this, the researchers are interested in incorporating “meaty” and “savory” flavors, Lee said, though the flavoring agent has also been adapted to incorporate alternative flavors—such as juicy ribs— The fatty-ness coming from the eye, as an example.

The analysis focused on the science behind the style of lab-grown meat rather than the commercialization of the method, which is why scientists scribbled out non-food grade ingredients. However, he believes the technology can also be applied to traditional safe-to-eat ingredients, Lee noted.

Additionally, they plan to eliminate vulnerable animal products within the process, including gelatin-based hydrogels to work against lab-grown meat, which is based almost entirely on animal-derived ingredients.

According to UN data, animal husbandry is responsible for 6.2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide entering the state every moment. This accounts for about 12% of all human-caused emissions. Red meat production probably contains the most carbon.

Cultured meat livestock is touted as a climate-friendly replacement for red meat, although some studies say its potential environmental impact may be exaggerated and is dependent on the discovery of less energy-intensive manufacturing forms.

“Lab-grown meat has huge potential to contribute to sustainable diets, but its taste is probably only a small factor in how successful it will be,” said Jennifer Jacquet, a lecturer in environmental sciences at the University of Miami. Analysis.

“How quickly lab-grown meat becomes acceptable or widespread depends on the actions of powerful meat and dairy companies,” he told CNN.

There have already been protests in the United States. In May, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspended the sale of lab-grown meat in the surrounding area in what he called an effort to protect farmers and ranchers.

“Today, Florida is fighting against the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in petri dishes or worms to achieve its authoritarian goals,” DeSantis said in a comment.

However, elsewhere in the United States, it is possible to obtain lab-grown chicken, even if only red meat.

In 2023, the United States Department of Agriculture gave the green light to two companies – Excelent Meats and Upside Foods – to begin selling their cultured chicken products, becoming the second jurisdiction after Singapore where customers could purchase it.

The companies launched their chicken into high-end restaurants in the United States at the last minute.

In May, Huber Butchery in Singapore became the first retail chain to sell cultured meat, a chicken sliced ​​through the finest meat made from only 3% cultured meat. According to Excelent Meat’s website there are additional plant-based ingredients.

Now that a research team in South Korea has figured out the puzzle to making lab-grown meat taste stronger, the next challenge is to combine that flavor with cultured meat that better mimics the likeness and texture of the real thing. Does – Crimson Gelatinous Blob will not create a menu.