Australian Startup Unveils Lab-Grown Mammoth Meatball at Science Museum in the Netherlands

Vow Creates Mammoth Meatball with Unique Genetic Information

Australian cultured meat startup, Vow, has created a meatball made with lab-grown mammoth meat using genetic information from the extinct pachyderm. The company unveiled its latest creation at a science museum in the Netherlands, as a way to generate public debate about the future of food technology. The mammoth genes were inserted into a sheep cell and overexpressed to be more prevalent in the final product.

No One Has Tasted the Meat Yet and It Needs to Go Through Rigorous Testing

Although Vow has managed to create a meatball made of lab-grown mammoth meat, no one has tasted it yet. The protein is 4,000 years old and would require rigorous testing and approvals before being brought to market. It’s also worth noting that Vow created this mammoth meatball more as a publicity stunt rather than developing a prehistoric protein for sale.

A Unique Way To Address Sustainability Issues Related To Meat Production

Vow’s unique approach to addressing sustainability issues related to meat production is through lab-grown meat production. Lab-grown meat from different companies is being developed around the world, and some products have been approved by regulatory bodies for sale. Singapore is currently the only country that has approved cell-based meat for consumption.

More Than 75 Companies are Working on Developing Lab-Grown Meat Products

Vow is part of over 100 companies working on cultivated meat products globally. If similar technology becomes more widespread, it could greatly reduce the environmental impact of global meat production. Traditional livestock farming often requires vast amounts of land, water, and feed. Furthermore, it generates greenhouse gas emissions at unacceptable levels contributing significantly to climate change.

Experts Say That Lab-Grown Meat Technology Has The Potential To Combat Climate Change

Lab-grown protein technology presents a unique alternative to large-scale farming and slaughtering. Good Food Institute hopes projects such as Vow’s mammoth meatball will open up new conversations about lab-grown meat’s potential to produce more sustainable foods, reduce climate impact, and free up land for less intensive farming practices.

Vow Continues To Experiment With Mixing and Matching Cells From Different Animals

Vow is experimenting with mixing and matching cells from different animals to develop additional alternatives to traditional meat. Scientists focused on a protein present in mammals called myoglobin, which gives meat texture and taste. To create the mammoth meatball, genetic information from the African elephant, the closest living relative to the mammoth, was used to fill in missing parts of genetic data. The concoction was then injected into sheep cells that multiplied to create the meatball.

Final Thoughts

Vow’s mammoth meatball represents another step forward in lab-grown meat production technology. Although it’s not yet ready for consumption, let alone commercial production, it presents new possibilities in food technology that could play an essential role in addressing sustainability issues related to food production.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons