Could Protein Spun Like Candyfloss Make Lab-Grown Steak Possible?

[Judi Lynn]

By Ryan F. Mandelbaum on 21 Oct 2019 at 6:00AM

Synthetic meat products might come even closer to the texture of slaughtered meats with the help of what are essentially modified candyfloss machines.

Scientists at universities and private companies are attempting to recreate the flavor and texture of animal-based meats using similar techniques to those used in biomedical labs. But plant-based meat analogues on the market, like the Impossible Burger, generally come in mushy patties or sausage links, whose textures are rather easy to mimic. Perhaps gelatin-based fibres will allow researchers to create something closer to, say, a steak.

“We think we’ve cracked one of the biggest nuts in the synthetic food industry,” Kevin Kit Parker, study author and professor of bioengineering and applied physics at Harvard, told Gizmodo.

The team has previously produced tiny synthetic fibres using a system similar to a candyfloss machine, though their machine spins much faster. For this study, they wanted to see if they could use gelatin to produce those fibres, and in turn, whether those fibres would be able to serve as scaffolding for muscle tissue to produce meat of a more realistic texture.

More:
https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2019/10/could-protein-spun-like-candyfloss-make-lab-grown-steak-possible/

[Javaman]

1. Mmmm, cotton jerky...nt

[cstanleytech]

2. Wont replace meat any time soon unless they can make it more affordable to mass it.