Startup 3D Prints Meat In Space, But The Taste Needs Work

Scientist Mark Post displays samples of in-vitro meat, or cultured meat grown in a laboratory, at the University of Maastricht November 9, 2011. — Samples of in-vitro meat, or cultured meat grown in a laboratory, are seen at the University of Maastricht November 9, 2011. Scientists are cooking up new ways of feeding the world's ever growing hunger for meat that could save the environment and the lives of millions of animals. In-vitro meat or cultured meat is an animal flesh product that has never been part of a complete, living animal, and is quite different from imitation meat or meat substitutes, which are vegetarian foods made from vegetable proteins like soy. Reuters

Aleph Farms, the company that grew sausages from labs, is now making meat in space.

At 248 miles (339 km), devoid of access to any natural resources, the Israeli-based startup assembled a "small-scale muscle tissue" of cow's meat.

The process starts by taking cow cells, cultivating them, and putting them in an environment that mimics the natural muscle-tissue regeneration occurring inside the cow's body. A 3D bioprinter, developed by Russian company 3D Bioprinting Solutions, finalizes it by assembling the tissue.

The successful experiment that took place on Sept. 26 "serves as an essential growth indicator of sustainable food production methods that don't exacerbate land waste, water waste, and pollution."

"In space, we don't have 10,000 or 15,000 Liter (3962.58 Gallon) of water available to produce one Kg (2.205 Pound) of beef," says Didier Toubia, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms.

"This joint experiment marks a significant first step toward achieving our vision to ensure food security for generations to come, while preserving our natural resources.

The cell-grown meat beats the conventional method of meat production at a rate that's 97.1 percent faster. Meat from actual cows takes about two years until it goes out to consumers, whereas Aleph Farms can grow a steak in the lab in just three weeks.

Taste Test

Plenty of companies are vying for a share of the plant-based meat options market or meat alternatives niche, but none of them, however, have been able to replicate the texture of the actual thing, according to Business Insider.

"We're the only company that has the capacity to make fully-textured meat that includes muscle fibers and blood vessels — all the components that provide the necessary structure and connections for the tissue," Toubia told Business Insider in May last year.

However, the taste of the actual product needs to be perfected. "It's close and it tastes good, but we have a bit more work to make sure the taste is 100% similar to conventional meat," he said. "But when you cook it, you really can smell the same smell of meat cooking."

Aleph Farm's steak is not yet available for commercial sale, and it may take three to four years before that happens, according to Toubia.