Will the vegans eat it?
'Intense flavor': The $330,000 hamburger that was built in a lab hits the spot
Alastair Jamieson and Alan Boyle, NBC News
48 minutes ago
LONDON After years of research and weeks of buildup, taste testers on Monday finally bit into a burger created from stem cells in a culture dish rather than meat from a farm or a store.
The burger was cooked in front of reporters and taste-tested by Chicago-based author and food writer Josh Schonwald and Austrian food researcher Hanni Rutzler.
Although they struggled to decide whether they liked the taste, both were pleasantly surprised at the texture and juicyness given the absence of natural fats.
"It wasn't unpleasant," said Schonwald.
"There is quite some intense flavor," Rutzler said, although she added that it needed seasoning. "The look was quite similar to meat. It has quite a bite."
She added: "The surface of the meat was crunchy - surprisingly. The taste itself was as juicy as meat can be, but different. It tastes like meat, not a meat-substitute like soya or whatever."
Monday's high-profile tasting at West London's Riverside Studios, broadcast online via streaming video, served as the public unveiling for a strain of "cultured beef" developed by University of Maastricht physiologist Mark Post. He declared the taste test a success.
"I'm very excited. It took a long time to get this far," said Post. "I think this is a very good start. I'm very happy with it."
Aided by a 250,000 ($330,000) donation from Google co-founder and entrepreneur Sergey Brin, Post has been working since 2008 to produce a palatable food product from lab-grown muscle cells. He and other scientists involved in similar projects aren't doing it just for the novelty. They see test-tube meat as a means to head off what could become a global food crisis.
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'Intense flavor': The $330,000 hamburger that was built in a lab hits the spot - NBC News.com
'Intense flavor': The $330,000 hamburger that was built in a lab hits the spot
Alastair Jamieson and Alan Boyle, NBC News
48 minutes ago
LONDON After years of research and weeks of buildup, taste testers on Monday finally bit into a burger created from stem cells in a culture dish rather than meat from a farm or a store.
The burger was cooked in front of reporters and taste-tested by Chicago-based author and food writer Josh Schonwald and Austrian food researcher Hanni Rutzler.
Although they struggled to decide whether they liked the taste, both were pleasantly surprised at the texture and juicyness given the absence of natural fats.
"It wasn't unpleasant," said Schonwald.
"There is quite some intense flavor," Rutzler said, although she added that it needed seasoning. "The look was quite similar to meat. It has quite a bite."
She added: "The surface of the meat was crunchy - surprisingly. The taste itself was as juicy as meat can be, but different. It tastes like meat, not a meat-substitute like soya or whatever."
Monday's high-profile tasting at West London's Riverside Studios, broadcast online via streaming video, served as the public unveiling for a strain of "cultured beef" developed by University of Maastricht physiologist Mark Post. He declared the taste test a success.
"I'm very excited. It took a long time to get this far," said Post. "I think this is a very good start. I'm very happy with it."
Aided by a 250,000 ($330,000) donation from Google co-founder and entrepreneur Sergey Brin, Post has been working since 2008 to produce a palatable food product from lab-grown muscle cells. He and other scientists involved in similar projects aren't doing it just for the novelty. They see test-tube meat as a means to head off what could become a global food crisis.
...
'Intense flavor': The $330,000 hamburger that was built in a lab hits the spot - NBC News.com
