Shlomi Arbiv/MeaTech 3D Ltd
This is a steak, 100% real. But it was done in the laboratory.
Producing cultured meat could soon be as simple as following a recipe.
Toaster… air-fryer… and a machine that makes meat — but without meat. An artistic-scientific collective from Tokyo wants to add a new utensil to its kitchen counter that allows it to produce chicken steaks grown from cells.
The Shojinmeat Project, founded by scientist Yuki Hanyu, aims to make sustainable and cruelty-free meat accessible to everyone.
The name Shojinmeat is inspired by shojin ryoritraditional Japanese Buddhist cuisine that avoids meat, fish, and other strongly flavored ingredients, in keeping with the principles of nonviolence and interconnectedness of all beings. The project merges this philosophy with modern biotechnology.
Cultured meat — also called — It’s real meatsince it is produced from animal cells, but without resorting to slaughter. The process begins with a small sample of stem cells, which multiply in a controlled bioreactor until they form muscle and fat tissues similar to those of traditional meat.
While current production relies on large-scale industrial facilities, Hanyu’s spin-off company, IntegriCulture, is developing a smaller, easier-to-use version suited to the home environment, explains .
According to Hanyu, producing cultured meat could soon be as simple as following a recipe. Using some basic chemicals, laboratory glass and a small bioreactor about the size of an air fryer, consumers could make meat for around $400. The Shojinmeat website already provides a guide for anyone who wants to try producing homemade protein.
The system works best with chicken cells, although Shojinmeat claims to have managed to grow meat from more than 30 different animal species in larger-scale methods.
Despite scientific advances, public acceptance remains uncertain. Additionally, environmental experts are out of cultured meat. Some studies suggest that large-scale production could generate between four and twenty-five times more greenhouse gas emissions than traditional livestock farming, depending on the energy sources and materials used.
