Latest news with #DerekStewart
NDTV
21-04-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Japanese Scientists Create The World's Largest Lab-Grown Chicken Nugget
It would not be an exaggeration to say that science can make anything possible. Picture this: you are munching on crunchy chicken nuggets that, in reality, are not even made from chicken. Yes, it is possible. Researchers have made a breakthrough in the culinary sector, producing lab-grown meat by creating nugget-sized pieces of chicken. The scientific procedure used a device that mimics blood vessels in the human body, enabling the meat to grow. This method uses tiny hollow fibres to deliver nutrients and oxygen to chicken muscle cells in a gel-like substance. Also Read: Watch: Viral Video Of Dahi Tikhari Recipe Gets Over 48 Million Views, Internet Reacts Through this technique, scientists produced meat up to 2 cm long and 1 cm thick in size, reported The Guardian. The researchers believe this hollow fiber bioreactor could also be used to create whole chickens, pork, beef, and fish in the lab. They have also mentioned that the method might eventually produce functional human organs. Professor Derek Stewart at the James Hutton Institute in Dundee described the lab-grown meat as "a transformative step" and "a really elegant solution." He said, "They have created something of a size and scale that people are hardwired to eat: it is the chicken nugget model." Also Read: Bengaluru Woman Helps Local Sugarcane Vendor With Google Maps Listing, Wins Hearts Online The researchers faced a major challenge in creating the specialised meat: transferring oxygen and nutrients to muscle cells in thick sections of tissue. Without these components, muscle cells can die. Professor Shoji Takeuchi at the University of Tokyo found a solution to the problem by constructing a bioreactor with semi-permeable fibers. Professor Takeuchi explained, "One of the key challenges in growing thick tissue is that cells in the centre can struggle to receive enough oxygen and nutrients, which may lead to cell death. Our system helped address this by providing internal perfusion, allowing us to support the growth of thicker, more consistent tissue." At present, the hollow fibers are removed by hand once the meat grows. However, the researchers are planning to replace them with edible cellulose fibers that can remain in the meat and alter its texture.
Sky News
17-04-2025
- Science
- Sky News
Scientists create lab-grown chunks of chicken in 'breakthrough' that could pave way for larger cuts of meat
A team of Japanese scientists have created chunks of lab-grown chicken - in a "breakthrough" experts say could pave the way for the creation of larger cuts of meat. In the quest to cultivate meat without the climate impact of farmed animals, scientists have so far only been able to grow tiny chunks of animal cells that have been used to recreate minced meat products like pork meatballs. But a Japanese team has pioneered a new method to grow larger pieces of chicken in a lab, which they say recreates the texture and structure of a piece of meat that has so far proved so elusive. Independent experts have hailed it a "breakthrough" and a "meaningful technical achievement". The researchers involved believe it paves the way for whole cuts of chicken, beef, and fish to be grown in the lab. "Cultured meat offers a sustainable, ethical alternative to conventional meat," said Shoji Takeuchi from Tokyo University, senior author of the paper published this week in peer-reviewed journal Trends in Biotechnology. "However, replicating the texture and taste of whole-cut meat remains difficult. Our technology enables the production of structured meat with improved texture and flavour." Their method used fine hollow fibres that mimic blood vessels to deliver oxygen and nutrients to living chicken muscle cells, growing them into lumps of meat up to 2cm long and 1cm thick, weighing 10 grams. "These fibres are already commonly used in household water filters and dialysis machines for patients with kidney disease. "It's exciting to discover that these tiny fibres can also effectively help create artificial tissues and, possibly, whole organs in the future." 1:55 Overcoming the 'ick factor' Prof Derek Stewart from The James Hutton Institute, told Sky News: "I'd class this as a technical breakthrough". Dr Rodrigo Amaro-Ledesma from Imperial College London called it a "meaningful technical achievement that they have produced a cultivated chicken meat several centimetres thick". This, combined with other work on fine-tuning flavours and reducing costs, puts us "comfortably on track towards an exciting and appealing new range of products", he said. But in order for cultivated meat products to "hit the supermarket shelves in a big way, they need to also be a hit with consumers". The industry prefers the term "alternative protein" to "lab-grown meat" because it is worried the former gives people the "ick". One survey by the Food Standards Agency found a third of UK consumers would be willing to try lab-grown meat. Although the science has advanced rapidly in recent years, no products have yet been authorised for humans to eat, though they have for pets. But the government wants to change that, last year announcing £15m of funding, topping up £23m from other sources, to try to get them onto our plates in the next two years. That includes speeding up the approvals process so that it can keep up with the evolving science, and lowering currently high input costs. Dr Amaro-Ledesma added: "Cultivated meat is a promising alternative to conventional meat because it offers the potential to reduce environmental impacts (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions, land and water use), eliminate the need for animal slaughter, and improve food safety by avoiding the use of antibiotics and reducing the risk of zoonotic diseases, amongst other advantages." Lydia Collas, head of natural environment at Green Alliance, said: "We keep seeing exciting breakthroughs towards more sustainable sources of protein, and with decisive action this can be a real opportunity for the UK. "We already have a lead, thanks to our world-leading biotech industry and high food quality and safety standards. "The government's forthcoming industrial strategy must include measures to grow the UK industry, which, according to our research, could add £6.8bn to the UK economy every year and create 25,000 new jobs by 2035."
The Guardian
16-04-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Lab-grown chicken ‘nuggets' hailed as ‘transformative step' for cultured meat
Researchers are claiming a breakthrough in lab-grown meat after producing nugget-sized chunks of chicken in a device that mimics the blood vessels that make up the circulatory system. The approach uses fine hollow fibres to deliver oxygen and nutrients to chicken muscle cells suspended in a gel, an advance that allowed scientists to grow lumps of meat up to 2cm long and 1cm thick. The hollow fibre bioreactor paves the way for whole cuts of chicken, beef, pork and fish to be grown in the lab, researchers believe. The same technology has the potential to produce functional organs, too. 'This looks like a transformative step, it's a really elegant solution,' said Prof Derek Stewart at the James Hutton Institute in Dundee. 'They've created something of a size and scale that people are hardwired to eat: it's the chicken nugget model.' A major hurdle to growing meat in the lab is the difficulty in getting enough nutrients and oxygen to muscle cells in thick sections of tissue. Without them, the cells die off. As such, many projects focus on growing tiny pieces of meat akin to mince. To solve the size problem, Prof Shoji Takeuchi, at the University of Tokyo, built a bioreactor that holds living cells in a gel and feeds them with oxygen and nutrients through fine, semi-permeable fibres that pass through the material. 'One of the key challenges in growing thick tissue is that cells in the centre can struggle to receive enough oxygen and nutrients, which may lead to cell death,' Takeuchi said. 'Our system helped address this by providing internal perfusion, allowing us to support the growth of thicker, more consistent tissue.' Writing in Trends in Biotechnology, Takeuchi and his team describe how they grew an 11g chunk of chicken from a gel that had more than 1,000 hollow fibres running through it. A culture medium rich in nutrients and oxygen was pumped down the fibres to nourish the cells. Growing meat in larger, more structured pieces could help researchers replicate the texture and appearance of meat such as chicken breast or thigh, Takeuchi said. 'While small-scale or minced cultured meat is easier to produce, it may not fully capture the fibrous structure and mouth-feel that consumers associate with conventional cuts,' he added. For now, the hollow fibres of the artificial circulatory system must be removed by hand once the meat has grown. But the scientists are aiming to replace them with edible cellulose fibres that can be left in and used to vary the texture of the meat. Edible fibres may open up other possibilities, too, Stewart said. Meats could be fortified by adding zinc and selenium to the culture medium, helping to boost the immune systems of older people, he suggested. He also wondered if masala sauce could be passed down the tubes to create a nugget version of chicken tikka masala. 'I'd give it a go,' he said. Takeuchi said future versions of the bioreactor may need artificial blood that carries more oxygen to the cells, to allow the growth of larger lumps of meat. With sufficient funding, he believes products based on the approach could be available in five- to 10 years. 'At first, it will likely be more expensive than conventional chicken, mainly due to material and production costs,' he said. 'However, we are actively developing food-grade, scalable systems, and if successful, we expect the cost to decrease substantially over time.'
