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filosoful OP t1_ixndijg wrote

>The developments I find most interesting use no agricultural feedstocks. The microbes they breed feed on hydrogen or methanol – which can be made with renewable electricity – combined with water, carbon dioxide and a very small amount of fertiliser.

>They produce a flour that contains roughly 60% protein, a much higher concentration than any major crop can achieve (soy beans contain 37%, chick peas, 20%). When they are bred to produce specific proteins and fats, they can create much better replacements than plant products for meat, fish, milk and eggs. And they have the potential to do two astonishing things.

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drop_database_run t1_ixotrju wrote

Lunar gateway food supply: solved

An interesting idea of it can be used to create non perishable disaster/ famine relief supplies. Would the next step not be integrated hydroponics facilities to reduce our overall sprawl in first and second world nations?

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RanCestor t1_ixpea4v wrote

I want that outerspace weed of yours.

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drop_database_run t1_ixqrar3 wrote

My name is Alex Hawthorn, and I Amy be a smuggler, but that doesn't make me good at sharing

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lightknight7777 t1_ixp7dpq wrote

Really wonder what it tastes like. That's so interesting and the possibility of culturing so many other designer food could be fascinating from a culinary experience. This version might not be very good or just fine or even normal. But the future could be food that doesn't just compete with our natural food but leaves it behind.

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twisted_cistern t1_ixpc8a1 wrote

My guess is it tastes like you tell it to taste

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MadDog00312 t1_ixpi7a5 wrote

Not a food scientist (just a scientist), but my understanding is that your guess is correct. They literally sample the protein they want directly from the food source they want to copy. It was only relatively recently (last few years) that the technology moved from a lab to a factory.

Apparently the real trick was being able to do it at the cost and scale required to make it viable.

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RadioFreeAmerika t1_ixpdmaq wrote

Thanks, but no. I'm waiting for lab-grown meat.

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MadDog00312 t1_ixphcft wrote

Funny you should mention that: the FDA just approved lab grown meat last week. The US is the second country in the world to approve lab based meat. Singapore approved lab based chicken in Dec of 2020 (although it’s still pretty restricted).

FDA grants approval for lab based meat

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RadioFreeAmerika t1_ixqbbss wrote

Not in the US, but I am actually following the developments quite closely, as I can't wait to buy it in my local supermarket. It will be the ideal substitute for "real" meat.

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jaylem t1_ixpqm5b wrote

I don't understand attitude, surely it's just neophobia like the article suggests? Like how is eating something that an animal had to live a miserable life and die to provide you in any way better than something produced in a factory like a damned snickers bar?

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RadioFreeAmerika t1_ixqb5fs wrote

No animal will have to die for lab-grown meat. It is made from stem cells in incubators. And it is actually quite close to introduction into the market. Some is already sold in pilot projects. In a few years, it will basically be indistinguishable from "real" meat. It also consumes far fewer resources than "real" meat and can be produced much faster and cheaper. Further down the road, it might even be possible to grow meat from extinguished species like mammoths or make things like wagyu meat for a fraction of the costs.

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