World’s first cultured beef burger taste-tested in UK

The world’s first cultured beef hamburger made from meat grown in a laboratory using stem cells has been unveiled at Riverside Studios in West London, at a public tasting event marking the launch of the innovation.

The burger was cooked by chef Richard McGeown at a news conference on 5 August and was tasted by Chicago-based author Josh Schonwald and Austrian food researcher Hanni Rützler.

The burger was made using lab-grown beef and other ingredients such as salt, egg powder and breadcrumbs; red beet juice and saffron were added to bring out its natural colours.

Upon tasting the burger, both Schonwald and Rützler said that it tasted ‘almost’ like a conventional one.

Schonwald said that although the meat tasted like an animal protein cake, the general bite was similar to a hamburger.

Rützler said: "It’s close to meat, but it’s not as juicy."

The burger project, which is led by Professor Mark Post at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, received €250,000 funding from Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

It is the culmination of a five-year research project funded by the Dutch government; however, it took only three months for the team to grow the burger.

In order to produce the artificial meat, a sample of muscle cells was placed in a nutrient solution to create muscle tissue.

The muscle tissue was grown by placing the cells in a ring, like a donut, around a hub of gel.

The muscle cells grow into small strands of meat and around 20,000 such strands are needed to make a 140g burger.

The development of the lab-grown beef burger represents a crucial step in finding a sustainable alternative to meat production that is more ethical and environmentally-friendly.

According to Maastricht University, cultured beef paves the way for food production that does not impact the environment or require widespread use of livestock for meat, and commercial production of cultured beef could begin within the next two decades.

Commenting on the development, the UK Vegetarian Society stated that some vegetarians are keen to experience the taste and texture of meat which has been produced without actually harming an animal.

The society, however, noted that there are technical issues to consider; for example, that artificial meat production may primarily depend on the use of animals initially for cell cultures and that the end product could be categorised as a ‘novel food’ requiring animal testing to comply with EU legislation.

Vegetarian Society chief executive officer Lynne Elliot said that while many campaigners argue that any development which results in fewer animals being reared and slaughtered for food is a good thing, there are many questions yet to be answered.

"The biggest question for many vegetarians is why? Why go to this much trouble and expense to replace a foodstuff that we simply do not need? Wouldn’t it be simpler, cheaper and more sustainable to just stop eating meat altogether?," Elliot added.

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Image: The new lab-grown burger is a culmination of a five-year research project funded by the Dutch government. Photo courtesy of Maastricht University.