New lab meat smells like real meat when roasted
Labor-meat spares animals' suffering, many want to save on the typical smell and taste of meat, but cannot do without it in the market. Research places great hope in lab-grown meat. Recently, it has made a big leap.
It looks like pink jello with a rose hue, but when cooked, it emits the aroma of grilled beef: Researchers in South Korea have produced lab-meat that mimics the smell and taste of real meat. Their product performs better than other lab-meat, where appearance is often the focus, according to the team in the journal "Nature Communications".
The researchers led by Milae Lee and Woojin Choi of Yonsei University in South Korea used a hydrogel into which they incorporated a flavor compound. When heated above 150 degrees, their product releases specific aroma compounds - like real meat, whose components also react to heat. Chemical analyses discovered similar flavor patterns in both products.
Typical aroma of roasted, browned, and baked
The newly developed substance mimics the Maillard reaction. In the reaction named after the chemist Louis Camille Maillard, amino acids and sugars, under the influence of heat, are transformed into new compounds. The brown end-products, melanoidins, are responsible for the typical aroma and browning of roasted, browned, and baked foods.
It has been difficult to achieve the taste in lab tissue because the amino acids differ from those in regular meat, the study states. Furthermore, one cannot simply resort to synthetic flavorings from the food industry because they are volatile and may completely disappear during the long-term cell culture of lab meat. "Therefore, a material scientific approach to generating aroma compounds during the cooking process is essential," they believe.
Off-flavors: fishy, sharp, and sour
The South Korean researchers initially chose 2-Furfurylthiol as the aroma compound in their experiments, which is not only found in cooked beef but also in roasted coffee. In another experiment, they added two more aroma compounds, one of which has a meaty, oniony taste and smell, while the other reminds of fried nuts and roasted. Real meat contains several aroma compounds.
The three aroma compounds were introduced into gelatin methacrylate, which is used in the formation of cross-linked hydrogels for tissue cultivation and 3D printing. The cell culture lasted for 15 days.
From 80 degrees Celsius, the lab meat already emitted a faint aroma, which was quite noticeable at 150 degrees. The following aromas were classified as pleasant: meaty, savory, nutty, roasted bread, floral, cheesy, fatty. On the other hand, fishy, sharp, and sour aromas were considered off-flavors.
However, lab-meat is not yet approved as food.
For the investigation, an electronic nose was used and compared. The greatest similarity to meat was found in the lab-produced product with the most aroma compounds added. The study states that the flavor profile of real meat is complex. Therefore, it is better to use more aroma compounds than the three used in the study in the future, as dozens come naturally in real meat.
The researchers note that the used substances are biocompatible but not yet approved as food additives in the USA. "Nevertheless, the proposed aroma strategy has the potential to be implemented with food-grade chemicals." The study could certainly contribute to generating better lab meat.
"Lab meat is developing into a new type of food that can sustainably provide animal protein," it continues. The researchers are convinced: "Taste is the most important sensory property that decides the quality of meat."
In the pursuit of creating more authentic lab-meat, education about the use of various aroma compounds is crucial. This could potentially help overcome the challenge of off-flavors like fishy or sour, and enhance the desired flavors such as nutty, roasted bread, or cheesy. (Nutrition, Education)
Animal welfare advocates argue that the shift towards vegan diets and lab-grown meat can significantly reduce the demand for animal products, potentially leading to improved animal welfare conditions in traditional farming. (Animal welfare, Vegan diet, Meat)
