First lab-grown steak unveiled as scientists say it will be available to buy within two years

Aleph Farms used natural beef cells to grow the three dimensional structure of a minute steak
Aleph Farms used natural beef cells to grow the three dimensional structure of a minute steak Credit: Aleph Farms 

The first lab-grown steak will be available to buy in two years after scientists finally produced meat with the correct appearance, shape and texture of a real slice of beef.

Up to now, researchers have produced small amounts of cell-grown meat, which have been mixed together to create hamburger patties and sausages, but making an entire steak has proved elusive.

Now Israeli food technology company Aleph Farms has announced it has succeeded in using natural beef cells to grow the three dimensional structure of a minute steak which mimics the muscle and tissue of real meat.

The company eventually wants to sell ‘slaughter-free steak’ which will not require huge amounts of land, water, feed and antibiotics for cattle.

“Making a patty or a sausage from cells cultured outside the animal is challenging enough, imagine how difficult it is to create a whole-muscle steak,” said Didier Toubia, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms.

“We’ve successfully produced the first pieces of beef steak, grown from natural cells without harming any animals.

"Meat is a complex tissue. This breakthrough involves various cell types found in conventional cuts of meat, grown together outside the animal to create a 3D similar to meat, but using more safe, sustainable and ethical methods.

“We’ve transformed the vision into reality by growing a steak under controlled conditions. The initial products are still relatively thin, but the technology we developed marks a true breakthrough and a great leap forward in producing a cell-grown steak.”

The meat has the look, taste and feel of a minute steak
The meat has the look, taste and feel of a minute steak Credit: Aleph Farms

Cell-grown meat is typically grown from a few cells extracted from a living animal, which are the encouraged to continue growing in the lab.

However one of the barriers to creating a steak is getting the various cell types to interact with each other so they can build a complete tissue structure as they would in the natural environment inside the animal.

To grow muscle, tissue and lay down fat, the team needed to find exactly the right nutrients to mimic the process,

The result is a thin slice of steak which can be cooked on about one minute.

Chef Amir Ilan, of the restaurant Paris Texas in Ramat Gan, Israel, who cooked the first dish using the steak said: “This meat has a great look and the original texture of a steak.

“For me, it is a great experience to eat meat that has the look and feel of beef but has been grown without antibiotics and causes no harm to animals or the environment.

"Finally a meat you can enjoy which is good for your health and the planet.”

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