South Korean Scientists Create ‘Meaty Rice’ for Sustainable Protein

June 18, 2024

Scientists at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, are working on putting grown beef cells into rice grains. This is a groundbreaking use of new food technologies that is changing the world. The goal of this new invention, called “meaty rice,” is to be a more environmentally friendly source of protein that doesn’t involve raising animals. This could completely change the way food is produced around the world.

Creation of ‘Meaty Rice’

In this process, fish gelatine is spread over a rice grain to help the injected beef cells stick. After that, these grains are grown in a Petri dish for about 11 days so that the cells can multiply. Professor Hong Jin-kee uses the fact that rice has a slightly open structure to his advantage. This makes it a great place for cells to grow evenly inside the grain.

Ethical and Environmental Impacts

This new method gets rid of the need to kill animals, which addresses the moral issues that come with eating meat. In addition, the meaty rice is meant to leave a much smaller carbon footprint than standard beef production. It gives off a lot less carbon dioxide for every 100 grams of protein it makes, which makes it a more environmentally friendly choice.

Global Context and Regulatory Environment

Different countries around the world have different rules about grown meat. Some, like Singapore and the US, let it be sold, while others, like Italy, don’t let it because they want to protect their industries. South Korea showed a strong desire to improve food technologies in 2022 by setting aside a lot of money for foodtech improvements and choosing cellular agriculture as a main area of study.

Challenges and Future Prospects

Even though it has a lot of promise, cultured meat and hybrid foods like meaty rice are hard to get widely used. These include showing large-scale environmental benefits, solving safety concerns about growing mediums, and finally getting people to accept it. According to experts, the only way to get past these problems and reach a larger market is to keep coming up with new ideas and making people aware of them.

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