PODCAST. Is cultured meat the future? But what is it about? Is it safe? Il Cibio: ”It may be the answer to global challenges, but the costs are still high”
TRENTO. Il Cibi and the cell biology department, computational and integrated science of the University of Trento. Inside, academics and students from all over the world do research in over forty different fields. Among these, in addition to the more classic molecular biology and the study of tumors, there is one that has recently caused much discussion, intriguing and frightening the public at the same time. It is what, erroneously, is defined as “synthetic meat”.
For three years now, Stefano Biressi e Luciano Conti – experts in regenerative biology – they deal with cultured meat on behalf of the Trentino university, i.e. meat ‘grown’ in the laboratory, with their work they support the start-up Bruno Cellwhich aims to make the production of meat in the laboratory economically sustainable.
The goal of line of research carried out by the two scientists is threefold. Biressi and Conti mainly aim to select the most suitable cells to proliferate and return the biomass suitable for production. The second goal instead it is to identify the best conditions to favor the development of a complex tissue such as that of meat. Finally, at the center of Cibio’s investigation is the seconomic hardship. On the one hand, there are still very high production costs. On the other hand, complete overlap with traditional meat has not yet been achieved.
The topic is hot. The reactions from certain politicians and trade associations were quick to wait. Really, Coldiretti has come to define cultured meat as a “Frankenstein food” by launching its own petition on the subject. As always, we can choose whether to approach technological innovations as a threat or as an opportunity. Evidently, both aspects can coexist and it is thanks to scientific research that greater awareness on the subject can be achieved.
The implications associated with the production of cultured meat are many and have an impact in many sectors. From feeding the growing world population to fighting the global warmingfrom the use of pesticides and antibiotics to the consumption of water, synthetic meat seems to be one of the solutions to the many challenges that concern our society.
In this episode TrenTopicthe many aspects related to the cultivation of meat are addressed. What is it about? She’s sure? It is suitable for a vegan diet? How can it help solve the problems of our society? Watch this week’s episode to better understand what cultured meat is, how it is produced and what are the consequences related to its development.