The world’s first test tube burger, has been unveiled in London in August 2013. The burger (meat patty) was created by scientists in the Netherlands at a cost of about $370,000 using 20,000 tiny strips of meat grown from muscle cells taken from a living cow over a three-month period. Scientists say that it is possible the meat will be sold to the public within ten years.
For the Dutch scientists, the main reason for exploring this method of meat production is to provide a different possibility to the mounting food crisis. This could revolutionise the way aid is delivered in a natural disaster and could dramatically lower the energy and production costs of feeding millions.
The billionaire co-founder of Google, Sergey Brin, stepped in to support the project after funding from the Dutch government ran out, saying he was doing it for “animal welfare reasons”. According to the World Health Organization, the demand for meat will double over the course of the next 40 years. This is a big problem because more than 70 percent of agricultural land is currently being used for livestock production, leaving little room for crops destined for human consumption. Oxford university scientists noted that cultured beef would lower the energy cost. Cultured beef needs 45 per cent less energy that natural beef and requires 99 per cent less land than regular livestock and produce between 78 and 95 per cent less greenhouse gas.
The video below shows the animation of how cultured beef is being grown by scientists at Maastricht University using stem-cells from a dead cow.
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