Lab-grown meat: an environmentally friendly alternative?

A new study by scientists from Oxford University and the University of Amsterdam has looked into meat grown using tissue engineering techniques that would cut emissions and save energy.

The team’s research, published in the Environmental Science & Technology journal estimates that cultured meat would require 7-45% less energy to produce than the same volume of pork sheep or beef.

However it would require more energy to produce than poultry but only a fraction of the land and water needed to rear chickens.

The study also found that cultured meat could potentially be produced with up to 96% lower greenhouse gas emissions, 45% less energy, 99% lower land use and 96% lower water use than conventional meat.

The researchers used Cyanobacteria hydrolysate as a nutrient and energy source for growing muscle cells.

Cultured meat could be part of the solution to feeding the world’s growing population and at the same time, be more environmentally friendly.