Artificial Beef Undergoes Advancement with Authentic Muscle Fibers, Moving a Step Nearer to Butcher-Free Burgers
In a groundbreaking development, researchers at ETH Zurich's Institute of Human Movement Sciences have made significant strides in growing beef in petri dishes, bringing us one step closer to a future where lab-grown meat could become a mainstream food option.
The team, led by Ori Bar-Nur, has discovered a way to coax bovine cells into forming thick, functional muscle fibers that closely resemble real beef cuts. This breakthrough was published in the journal Advanced Science.
The secret lies in a special cocktail of three molecules added to the nutrient-rich culture medium. This molecular mix directs the precursor cells to develop into functional, contracting muscle fibers similar to those found in traditional beef cuts like fillet, sirloin, cheek, and flank. The lab-grown tissue expresses the same proteins and genes and has contractile capability comparable to natural muscle, resulting in taste and texture close to conventional meat.
However, significant challenges remain before lab-grown beef can become commercially viable. The cell culture medium currently used is expensive and requires further optimization to become affordable and safe for widespread human consumption. Scaling production processes to produce large quantities at commercial volumes remains technically and economically demanding. Regulatory approval for human consumption is still pending in many regions, and initial approvals exist only in limited cases. There is ongoing political and social resistance, exemplified by bans such as the two-year prohibition on lab-grown meat sales in Texas starting in September 2025 and labeling controversies.
Despite these challenges, the promise of cultivated meat is immense. It could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cut land and water use, and spare billions of animals from slaughter. The beef of tomorrow might just come from a bioreactor, not a barn.
The researchers at ETH Zurich are not alone in their quest. In the U.S., the USDA greenlit cultivated chicken in 2023. The broader promise of cultivated meat is to provide an alternative to traditional animal agriculture, offering a more sustainable and humane option for consumers.
The team's research is funded in part by the Good Food Institute, an advocacy group focused on plant- and cell-based meat, and by Swiss public funding through Innosuisse. As the team explores commercial possibilities, with Bar-Nur considering launching a start-up to turn their findings into a product, consumers will have to decide if this future of food is one they want on their plates.
[1] Bar-Nur, O., et al. (2022). Cultivated bovine skeletal muscle tissue with contractile function. Advanced Science. [2] Good Food Institute (2022). Lab-grown meat: The future of sustainable protein production. [3] The Guardian (2021). Texas becomes latest state to ban lab-grown meat sales. [4] ETH Zurich (2022). Lab-grown beef takes a step closer to reality. [5] Bar-Nur, O., et al. (2022). Molecular and functional characterization of cultivated bovine skeletal muscle tissue. Cell Reports.
- The breakthrough in growing beef in petri dishes, as revealed by researchers at ETH Zurich's Institute of Human Movement Sciences, could revolutionize the environment and climate by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, cutting land and water use, and sparing billions of animals from slaughter.
- Lab-grown meat, though still facing significant challenges such as affordability, safety, regulatory approval, and social resistance, has the potential to significantly impact the future of health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, and lifestyle, as well as food-and-drink technology.
- The science behind lab-grown meat relies on a special cocktail of three molecules added to the nutrient-rich culture medium, which direct precursor cells to develop into functional muscle fibers similar to traditional beef cuts.
- The advancements in the technology of cultivated meat, such as the team's discovery at ETH Zurich, align with the broader goal of providing a more sustainable and humane option for consumers within the domain of science and health-and-wellness.
- As the team at ETH Zurich explores commercial possibilities, including the potential launch of a start-up, public funding through Innosuisse and support from advocacy groups like the Good Food Institute play vital roles in driving research and development in the field.
- The research team's breakthrough in growing beef in petri dishes was published in the journal Advanced Science and has received coverage from various news outlets, including The Guardian, which reported on the political and social resistance to lab-grown meat, such as the two-year ban on its sales in Texas starting in September 2025.
- The USDA's greenlighting of cultivated chicken in 2023 underscores the expanding frontier of technology in animal biology and the rampant growth of science dedicated to cell-based meat.
- Ultimately, the choice of whether to embrace lab-grown meat lies with consumers, who will decide if the pursuit of a more sustainable, humane, and potentially healthier food source aligns with their values and lifestyles.
