Edible
insects? Lab-grown meat? The real future food is lab-grown insect meat
Frontiers
Livestock farming is
destroying our planet. It is a major cause of land and water degradation,
biodiversity loss, acid rain, coral reef degeneration, deforestation -- and of
course, climate change. Plant-based diets, insect farming, lab-grown meat and genetically modified animals have all been proposed as potential solutions. Which is best? All of these combined, say researchers.
Livestock farming is
destroying our planet. It is a major cause of land and water degradation,
biodiversity loss, acid rain, coral reef degeneration, deforestation -- and of
course, climate change.
Plant-based diets, insect farming, lab-grown meat and genetically modified animals have all been proposed as potential solutions. Which is best?
Plant-based diets, insect farming, lab-grown meat and genetically modified animals have all been proposed as potential solutions. Which is best?
All of these combined,
say researchers at Tufts University.
Writing in Frontiers
in Sustainable Food Systems, they explain why lab-grown insect meat -- fed
on plants, and genetically modified for maximum growth, nutrition and flavor --
could be a superior green alternative for high volume, nutritious food
production.
"Due to the
environmental, public health and animal welfare concerns associated with our
current livestock system, it is vital to develop more sustainable food
production methods," says lead author Natalie Rubio.
Genetically modified
livestock, for example that produce less methane or resist disease, can do
little to relieve issues like land and water degradation, deforestation and
biodiversity loss.
But for meat-lovers,
soy- or mushroom-based substitutes just don't hit the spot -- and some plant
crops are as thirsty as livestock.
Insect farming has a
much lower water and space requirement -- think vertical farming -- and twice
as much of a cricket is edible than of a big-boned, big-bellied cow.
Unsurprisingly though, creepy crawlies are proving even harder for consumers to
swallow.
Finally, lab-grown
meat could squeeze water and space savings furthest of all, without
compromising on taste. Culturing beef, pork or chicken cells might require even
more energy and resources than livestock farming, however -- leaving us trading
farts for fossil fuels. (Or is that burps?)
Lab-grown insect meat
A better solution,
says Rubio, may lie at the intersection of all these options: lab-grown insect
meat -- fed on plants, and genetically modified for maximum growth, nutrition
and flavor.
"Compared to
cultured mammalian, avian and other vertebrate cells, insect cell cultures
require fewer resources and less energy-intensive environmental control, as
they have lower glucose requirements and can thrive in a wider range of
temperature, pH, oxygen and osmolarity conditions," reports Rubio.
"Alterations
necessary for large-scale production are also simpler to achieve with insect
cells, which are currently used for biomanufacture of insecticides, drugs and
vaccines."
Research for these
applications has led already to inexpensive, animal-free growth media for
insect cells -- including soy- and yeast-based formulas -- as well as
successful 'suspension culture'.
"In most
mammalian muscle cell culture systems, the cells have to be fixed in a single
layer to a growth surface -- which is complex to scale up for mass food
production. Many insect cells, however, can be grown free-floating in a
suspension of growth media to allow cost-effective, high-density cell
generation," Rubio explains.
Technology developed
to stimulate movement of insect tissue for bio-robotics could also be applied
to food production, since regular contraction may be required for cultured
insect muscle to develop a 'meaty' texture.
A particularly efficient method is optogenetic engineering, whereby cells are made to contract in response to light by introducing a new gene -- another advantage of insect cells, which more readily accept genetic modifications than do other animal cells.
A particularly efficient method is optogenetic engineering, whereby cells are made to contract in response to light by introducing a new gene -- another advantage of insect cells, which more readily accept genetic modifications than do other animal cells.
How will it taste?
The short answer, says
Rubio, is that nobody knows.
"Despite this
immense potential, cultured insect meat isn't ready for consumption. Research
is ongoing to master two key processes: controlling development of insect cells
into muscle and fat, and combining these in 3D cultures with a meat-like
texture. For the latter, sponges made from chitosan -- a mushroom-derived fiber
that is also present in the invertebrate exoskeleton -- are a promising
option."
Eventually, insect
labriculture could turn up some altogether more familiar flavors.
"Advances in
insect cell culture and tissue engineering can potentially be translated to
lobster, crab and shrimp, due to the evolutionary proximity of insects and
crustaceans," suggests Rubio.