Regarding "cultured meat" that cultivates meat cells to produce new meat, a research group of the University of Tokyo and a food manufacturer has "cultured meat that can be eaten" from beef using materials and techniques that can be actually eaten by humans. Was created for the first time in Japan.
This research was conducted by Professor Shoji Takeuchi of the University of Tokyo and groups such as "Nissin Foods Holdings".
The group is conducting research to reproduce steak meat from beef cells, but until now it was not possible to actually eat it because it used research materials.
For this reason, we independently developed edible culture solutions, etc., and were examined by the university committee on how to proceed with research from the viewpoint of "food safety", etc., and created beef culture that is safe to eat. am.
The resulting cultured meat weighs about 2 grams and is 4.5 cm long, 2 cm wide, and 1 mm thick, like shabu-shabu meat, and the muscle tissue is three-dimensionally reproduced like the real thing. It means that it has been done.
According to the group, it is the first time in Japan that such technology has produced cultured meat that is safe to eat.
A tasting was held at the University of Tokyo on the 29th, and after heating the cultured meat in a water bath, the researchers chewed it many times to check the taste and texture.
Mai Furuhashi, a researcher at NISSIN FOODS HOLDINGS, said, "It was a firm bite. The taste may not be beef yet, but the light umami component was felt slowly." ..
The group wants to realize a steak of cultured meat of about 100 grams in three years, and Professor Takeuchi said, "We have finally established an environment where we can proceed with research while eating and evaluating cultured meat. In the future, medical treatment I think that the application will expand to manufacturing using cells and cells. "
What is "cultured meat"?
"Cultured meat" is meat made by culturing muscle cells from animals such as cows and fish using a liquid containing nutritional components.
If realized, it is expected that it will lead to the solution of meat shortage due to population growth and the burden on the environment of livestock, and research is being carried out all over the world.
Of these, in 2013, the world's first tasting party for cultured meat hamburgers was held in the United Kingdom, and at that time it became a hot topic that each piece cost more than 30 million yen.
However, although the technology for making minced meat like hamburger patties is advancing, it is necessary to construct muscles and blood vessels three-dimensionally in order to make chunks of meat like steak meat. The current situation is that it is difficult to reproduce.
The possibility of "cultured meat"
"Cultured meat" is environmentally friendly if realized, and expectations are rising for its potential as a sustainable food.
Demand for meat is increasing worldwide due to population growth, etc., but it has been pointed out that the production of meat requires a large amount of land and a large amount of feed, and that the greenhouse gas produced by livestock is also a problem.
If cultured meat can be mass-produced, not only will these problems be solved, but since it can be produced in a hygienic environment, the risk of livestock diseases will be reduced, and stable and sustainable production will be possible. Is expected to lead to.
Furthermore, it is expected that the technology to bring cultured meat closer to the actual meat tissue can be applied to regenerative medicine that regenerates the human body.
The challenges that have been overcome by "edible cultured meat"
In order to make "edible cultured meat" in Japan, a certain level is required in terms of the technical aspect of culturing only edible materials and the institutional aspect such as how to proceed with research and whether there are any ethical issues. Must be met.
The group has independently developed a culture solution containing nutritional components and a material that can be used as a scaffold for the growth of cells, from the components of bovine blood that can also be used as food.
The research plan was also reviewed by the University of Tokyo's Institutional Review Board and approved in November last year.