An interesting new study has found that lab-grown meat could be worse for the planet than traditional animal husbandry and slaughter.
"[billions of] investment dollars have specifically been allocated to [the ACBM] sector with the thesis that this product will be more environmentally friendly than beef,” explains the study. It is true that lab-grown meat does away with the need for land, water, and antibiotics in cattle raising. However, researchers have found that the hype around cultured meat is based on flawed analyses of carbon emissions.
“Animal cell culture is traditionally done with growth medium components which have been refined to remove/reduce endotoxin,” write the study authors. “The use of these refinement methods contributes significantly to the economic and environmental costs associated with pharmaceutical products since they are both energy and resource intensive,” they added.
Another problem, according to the study, is that several reports on the climate impact of ACBM rely on unrealistic technologies that are either non-existent or improbable to function. An example of this is a study that calculated the carbon emissions of ACBM production through the use of cyanobacteria hydrolysate as a feedstock for the cells. However, the researchers of the current analysis point out that this is not a current or feasible technology or feedstock for animal cell proliferation.
“The environmental impact of near-term ACBM production is likely to be orders of magnitude higher than median beef production if a highly refined growth medium is utilized for ACBM production,” concluded the study. The authors propose a solution, suggesting the creation of cell lines that can withstand higher amounts of endotoxins. This would decrease the necessity for energy-intensive purification procedures and ultimately reduce the environmental impact of lab-grown meat.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The Best Gifts for New Moms, According to New MomsConsider a gift card for a food-delivery service, so new parents don’t have to worry about making dinner for themselves (on top of making bottles)
Read more »
7 Ways New Mothers Can Prioritize Their Mental Health, According to a Primary Care PhysicianFocusing on your mental health after giving birth can be hard, but it’s crucial. Here’s what a primary care doctor suggests doing.
Read more »
Black Panther Sports New Costume as Wakanda's Batman in New SeriesWhen T'Challa is exiled and stripped from all of his Wakanda resources, the Black Panther dons a new costume in a move reminiscent of Batman.
Read more »
New Yorkers Are Lining Up at This New Hong Kong-Style Cafe Located UndergroundMabu Cafe is the first United States location of a small chain of Chinese and Taiwanese restaurants based in Toronto, Canada. (via EaterNY)
Read more »
7 new Netflix releases to get excited for, including a new season of Selling Sunset📺 Our Netflix look-ahead: The return of Selling Sunset, a To All The Boys I've Loved Before spinoff series, plus new docs about Anna Nicole Smith and Conor McGregor + much more
Read more »