Meat Could Be Produced from Vegetables - New Discovery

Scientists at Imperial College London have found a way to grow animal protein inside vegetables by introducing pig myoglobin genes into plant chloroplasts. In lettuce leaves, they obtained myoglobin at about 10% of the level found in a steak. The technology could enhance the nutritional value of plant-based products and reduce the environmental impact of livestock farming, but mass application is still far off.

Researchers at Imperial College London, led by Dr. Alexia Groff, have developed a method to produce animal protein inside plants. They used a 'gene gun' to introduce pig myoglobin genes into chloroplasts, the organelles responsible for photosynthesis. After successful experiments with tobacco, the scientists moved to lettuce, achieving myoglobin levels in the leaves at approximately 10% of that typical for a regular steak. The technology could potentially yield more protein per hectare than animal farming, reducing water consumption and harmful emissions. Other approaches, such as inserting genes into nuclear DNA using viruses or transferring cow genes into algae, proved less effective. Dr. Groff emphasized that chloroplasts produce protein better than the cell nucleus. Myoglobin is rich in iron and determines the color and flavor of meat, so the purified protein could be used as a food additive. However, mass application is still a long way off: technical issues remain, consumer acceptance of GM products is uncertain, and myoglobin from tobacco retains iron less effectively than that from GM bacteria. Using chloroplasts reduces the risk of gene spread to wild plants.

Meat Could Be Produced from Vegetables - New Discovery