Question: how does meat form and grow in the lab?

Abi Aspen Glencross answered on 6 Mar 2016:

Well let’s make beef as steak is my specialty! (The principles are the same for each meat)

BURGER (this has been done!)

1) Take a muscle biopsy (a small bit of muscle, daisy will stay alive!)

2) Separate all the cells, so you are left with satellite cells (muscle stem cells)

These cells multiply and generally turn (differentiate) into other muscle stem cells or mature muscle cells (myocytes).

3) We multiply (proliferate) the cells in a plastic flask. This is done by giving them cell food (media) with all the necessary nutrients for cells to survive (e.g. amino acids, glucose, salts, vitamins).

4) I sing a lot of Duran Duran to them. Although they are partial to a bit of Abba and Beyoncé.

5) They stick to the bottom of the flask and we end up with lots and lots of cells (in theory 1 cell can make 10,000 kg of meat!).

6) We then take some of our cells and pop into well plates (like lots of little petri dishes) in a gel which allows them to live in 3D like they would in the body.

7) Muscle cells need anchor points to attach to, form tension and make fibres. You can use the hook end of Velcro for this!

8) It is here differentiation occurs (turning from stem cells into mature cells). The cells combine together (merge) to form long fibres. We change the cell media (food) every couple of days to keep them happy!

9) You wait 3-4 weeks for the muscle fibres to form. When they begin to twitch you know they are nearly ready!

10) You harvest them (de-attach the Velcro) and combine them to make a burger!

There is work going on to add fat in there which is really important in taste, texture and smell. However the farming industry is driven by whole cuts of meat such as steak.

My project is on creating thick tissue which consist of lots of these fibres in the same system. Here we require a network to supply them continually with oxygen and nutrients and remove waste! That’s what I spend my time working on 🙂