We often hear about synthetic or vegetable meat. Alternatives that could replace the real one, created in the laboratory and very close in flavour, texture and protein intake. It's not just an animal welfare ethical problem but an ecological need. Leonardo Di Caprio has long been very close to all initiatives in favor of the environment aimed at changing the global food system with the aim of combating the climate crisis, has taken the field by investing in cultivated meat or synthetic meat. Pioneer of this sector is the company Beyond Meat which in 2009 began the process of recreating products similar to meat but of vegetable origin with beans, rice, beetroot juice and, of course, vegetable oils to give the sensation of fat. Two years later, Patrick Brown, a former biochemistry researcher at Stanford University, arrived with the Impossible Burger, aimed at achieving a result that seems impossible: challenging production costs, rules and eating habits.
Sustainable, animal friendly and very similar to meat: animal protein substitutes are the biggest food revolution of our times. With vegetable products such as the burger by Beyond Meat and that of Impossible Food, the synthetic chicken of Singapore and the 3D printed steaks of Novameat, scientific research in the food field is ever closer to obtaining a product which, in terms of flavour, texture and fragrance looks like real meat.
Scientists and researchers are working to reduce the ecological footprint and animal suffering. But it's not just a question of civilization and respect for animal life, there is also an ecological problem with a strong environmental impact. Intensive animal breeding is one of the major sources of pollution together with water consumption (the production of a hamburger alone requires 2.500 liters of water). Furthermore, the production of food of animal origin requires a large use of food resources which is not compensated by the production of meat, milk and eggs for the market. Then there is the ethical issue of slaughter and, lastly, excessive quantities of red meat can seriously harm your health.
The problem was raised a long time ago by Bill Gates in an interview with MIT Tech Review on the need for the world to reduce carbon emissions. Among these he cited the consumption of synthetic meat, at least in rich countries. An absurd proposition for meat lovers, but for the founder of Microsoft, alternatives to meat will continue to grow and improve. And that could be the end of meat as we know it.
We can therefore speculate that in the not-too-distant future we may have a non-beef steak, a non-pork pork sausage, a non-meat burger or patties on our tables.
Among the scholars who are preparing our food future there is also an Italian biomedical researcher and engineer, Giuseppe Scionti, who presented in Barcelona with his startup Novameat the project of a 3D steak, made from materials of vegetable origin such as peas , seaweed and beetroot. Using 3D printing we get a crossing of filaments that resemble those of an animal muscle.
The first laboratory-produced hamburger was eaten in London in 2013. Thanks to the work of scientists from Masstricht University in the Netherlands, under the guidance of Mark Post, who created the meat starting from the stem cells of a cow and made it grow up to form muscular strips, then combined and flavored like real meat. The goal is to create fabrics that contain omega 3 capable of lowering cholesterol, preventing the risks associated with cardiovascular disease.
In September 2019, beef was produced in space. The experiment carried out by the Russian Station, in collaboration with an Israeli company, was based on the use of a 3D printer for the production of biological tissue starting from cells first cultivated on our planet. While the technique still needs to be perfected, this achievement demonstrated the possibility of producing meat directly in space. In December 2020, however, Singapore authorized the sale of synthetic chicken nuggets grown by the American Eat Just. In January 2021, "The Chicken" was inaugurated in Tel Aviv, the first place with a menu based on meat grown in test tubes.
These are just a few examples of startups or researchers who are committed to finding useful alternatives to alleviate the damage caused to our planet by meat production. And if the battle on the substantive level has not yet been won, the formal one has. Brussels has rejected the request by companies in the sector to associate the term meat, hamburger, sausage or steak with products of vegetable origin.
Despite what one might think, the majority of people who consume these products are not vegetarians or vegans, rather flexitarians, i.e. those who replace animal proteins with vegetable ones as much as possible, or who are looking for a "healthier" alternative to beef or even those with a more environmental soul. For this reason, companies are trying to create products that look exactly like meat: to provide a sustainable and healthy food system.
What worries the public the most are the possible repercussions on health. According to many nutritionists, synthetic meat has not been promoted with flying colors, since it is lacking in excessive amounts of saturated fat, sugar and salt. Another problem concerns production costs, which are still very high but could be reduced in the future thanks to the improvement of new techniques.
