In an attempt to save the environment as well as create nutritious food, researchers have come up with beef-infused rice, grown using cow’s muscles and cells.
The hybrid food reportedly can be produced within 9 to 11 days and it tastes like real beef! Fancy, isn’t it? Wait until you hear its benefits.
Super rice is grown with cow’s muscles and cells
The beef-infused rice was invented by a team of South Korean researchers, headed by Sohyeon Park.
The pink-colored rice would cost 15% of the price for a kilogram of beef meat and it has a much lower carbon footprint than beef, claims the study00016-X).
If you’re wondering about the science behind the hybrid food, the rice grains are first coated with fish gelatin so the meat cells hold on to it better. Then, cow muscles and fat stem cells are inserted into the rice grain and placed in a petri dish to grow.
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Rice grains are said to have organized structures mimicking microscopic “biological scaffolds” in animals, which help cells grow to form tissues.
As the meat cells grow over the rice grains and inside them, the study describes the cooked rice as “reminiscent of microbeef sushi and has a different texture, nutritional profile, and flavor than traditional rice grains.”
Benefits of hybrid Korean food
Not only can you enjoy the taste of beef at a much cheaper cost, but the hybrid food item boasts a lot of health benefits.
The beef rice was found to be firmer and brittle than bare rice, with significantly higher protein and fat content.
Furthermore, super rice produces eight times less carbon dioxide than beef, which makes a huge difference to the environment.
The primary author Park said: “Now I see a world of possibilities for this grain-based hybrid food. It could one day serve as food relief for famine, military ration, or even space food.”
The researchers are working on a mass production process to reduce the time takes to create super rice.
