Would you eat Lab Grown Meat

[bythoughts]

I think "lab grown meat" is an animal-fanatic boondoggle. It will never happen at a price anybody can afford.

The problem is that meat (muscle) normally comes on an animal with a liver to break down toxins, kidneys to secrete waste products, and an endocrine system to regulate growth. Lab grown meat lacks this, so it has to use a complex growth medium to sustain the cells a little while, then throw it away. It's less efficient than having cows on dialysis. And every hormone in the lab grown meat is an artificial added hormone (and who knows which ones are missing), so it makes the most unnatural method of animal husbandry you can imagine from some Third World rathole sound extremely natural and healthy by comparison. And unless they have near mystical barriers to protect their cultures, they'll probably have to throw in antibiotics too...

All this adds up to too much money. I know that developing lab grown meat is making some people a living. But lab grown meat never will.

Please note that "meat alternatives" using plant hemoglobins, mushrooms, and other innovations may well provide valid options for dinner. These comments only apply to literal lab grown meat.

 

[TamleeB]

I much prefer my beef comes from grass fed, rotational grazed cows.

 

[Allan]

And unless they have near mystical barriers to protect their cultures, they'll probably have to throw in antibiotics too...

Antibiotics protect animals from pathogens that spread from animal to animal.

How's that going to happen in an enclosed animal free environment?

 

[Individual]

How do you grow meat in a lab?

In a very large petri dish.

 

[Rogue Valley]

I don't eat meat per se. I eat turkey and other poultry products.

 

[bythoughts]

How's that going to happen in an enclosed animal free environment?

Tissue culture dishes don't have an immune system. It's possible, but really hard to do tissue culture without antibiotics.

 

[Individual]

Farm raised salmon is far healthier than the hot dogs and burgers and fries and and and that most people are eating too much of.

.

I eat salmon quite often, but really miss Nathan's hot dogs.

 

[Individual]

How would the DNA compare to that of a real animal?
And if beef, stick to Wagyu.

 

[reinaert]

Gwyneth Paltrow: "this prime rib tastes like my vagina".

Sure, you captured her brand exactly. But also, the **** you do that to everyone for?

 

[Bum]

Would you eat Lab Grown Meat​

Is it anyone I know?

 

[Allan]

Sure, you captured her brand exactly. But also, the **** you do that to everyone for?

 

[Allan]

How would the DNA compare to that of a real animal?

Cultures are from real animals to begin with. So the DNA would be identical.

 

[phoenix2020]

I used to get Impossible burgers now and then from Burger King and they were OK. I wasn't fooled into thinking it was beef, but it was closer than some alternatives.

My only real issue with products like Impossible burgers is I think companies that server vegans and vegetarians should focus their lime on making unique and delicious vegan meals rather than trying to imitate meat.

I've eaten quite a few absolutely delicious vegan and vegetarian meals in my life that used no "Tofurkey" style substitutes and they make vegetarianism seem way more doable than any Impossible Burger ever did.

See my view, as a vegetarian, is that there's a time and a place for both. There are times I want something delicious and vegetarian / vegan that reflects a great deal of innovation and creativity to get there. There are other times I'm perfectly happy with a Tofurkey item dropped into a soup or sandwich. I like the fact that I have both options available to me.

 

[Individual]

Cultures are from real animals to begin with. So the DNA would be identical.

Unmodified DNA?

 

[Juin]

They extract a small amount of muscle from the animal, break it down into cells, and then submerge them into an oxygenated nutrient bath that promotes normal cell growth and those chicken/cow/pig cells will grow into meat.

Sounds good enough to me

 

[bythoughts]

Cultures are from real animals to begin with. So the DNA would be identical.

Not so fast! Read this: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10879929/

Basically, culturing meat in a dish favors fast-growing cells. They become more and more like cancer cells, with some of the same mutations. And note that, from the perspective of the paper I quoted, this is not a bug - this is a feature! Makes the "meat" grow faster!

Now eating tumors should not give you cancer directly, but I can't say it sounds as healthy as a real steak.

 

[Allan]

Unmodified DNA?

Why would it need to be modified?

 

[Allan]

Tissue culture dishes don't have an immune system. It's possible, but really hard to do tissue culture without antibiotics.

So I've done some reading on this. Sometimes antibiotics are used but it's preferable to have an aseptic environment so they're unnecessary.

@Helix did you use antibiotics?

 

[BabaVoss]

Assuming it is healthy, clean and tastes good, why not?

 

[Allan]

Basically, culturing meat in a dish favors fast-growing cells. They become more and more like cancer cells, with some of the same mutations. And note that, from the perspective of the paper I quoted, this is not a bug - this is a feature! Makes the "meat" grow faster!

But I think the article notes that fast growing cells are undesirable as growth has to be equalized between cells for the product to finish properly.

So it's not like they're encouraging this very rapid growth.

 

[Peter]

Cows use a shitload of energy to rear and use a tone of water so I'm excited for the prospect of lab grown meat.
As soon as it's in my price range I'm all in.

 

[Individual]

Why would it need to be modified?

Just asking, as some DNA has to do with other than just the meat, like eye color, hair color, etc.

 

[Jessie C]

I know more than a few people who decline meats like deer, snake, and so on because they say it tastes "gamey".
Well a boutique lab meat facility could possibly clone deer meat and take the gamey taste out of it.
Personally I enjoy the gamey taste of venison, but different strokes.

Reminds me of the 80's early 90's when my ex deer hunted in our 5 acre back yard...I learned to perfect the art of making venison taste just like beef..(couldn't eat it with the wild taste). In the late 90's, his attitude about deer hunting changed...may have been seeing newborn fawns grazing with their moms....and it was FINE with me!

 

[Allan]

Just asking, as some DNA has to do with other than just the meat, like eye color, hair color, etc.

Good point. I don't know.

 

[Helix]

So I've done some reading on this. Sometimes antibiotics are used but it's preferable to have an aseptic environment so they're unnecessary.

@Helix did you use antibiotics?

For growth, yes. Couldn't use it for transfection, though. Antibiotics can interfere with the Lipofectamine. We tried to keep everything sterile anyway, but the antibiotic was a backup. Basically, you do everything in a hood and use sterile technique. Contamination was looked at like a bit of a failure or as an indicator that maybe the frozen stock got contaminated somehow.