Horsemeat, In-vitro Meat—Good Ideas or Gross?

Dining on a beef tenderloin roast is an elegant pleasure for some. But for others it creates nagging guilt.  Some consumers are bothered by the high cost of tender, tasty meat. Note: A 2011 list of the most shoplifted items (compiled by American retailers) placed filet mignon as #1!  One possible solution: horsemeat.

Other meat-eating consumers are bothered by the fact that they’re eating part of an animal that was killed in order to provide them with dinner. The solution to the price problem may be horsemeat—yes, horsemeat for humans.  The solution to the moral issue may be eating meat grown in a petri dish. 

You might find both of these edible items in your supermarket within a year or so.  Here’s why..

Horsemeat for Humans

On November 18, 2011, President Obama signed a spending bill that lifted the ban on funding horsemeat inspections.  That made it legal for horses to once again be slaughtered for human consumption in the U.S.  Most Americans would say, “Yuck!” in response to being offered a horsemeat steak, but in many other countries eating horsemeat is perfectly acceptable.  According the Chicago Tribune, Canadian restaurants and supermarkets carry it, and the newspaper’s article on this subject contains this quote from Andrew Zimmern, the host of the Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods”: “The rest of the world eats it”

How does it taste?  Food scientist Dr. Tim Bowser gave us his opinion: “I recently traveled to Mongolia, where horsemeat is a staple.  When properly handled and cooked, it is very palatable, nutritious, and safe.  It has a texture similar to beef, and the flavor depends largely on how it’s cooked. In Mongolian grocery stores, horsemeat appears in many forms, ranging from fully-cooked, shelf-stable, bagged roasts to fresh, refrigerated cuts.” Bowser also added this aside:  “Airag, or fermented mare’s milk, is a national favorite.” 

Food scientist Dr. Karin Allen agrees that there’s almost no safety problem. “The only parts that might not be safe to consume are the brain and spinal column. The muscle meat is okay if cooked properly.”

Horse lovers (riders, not eaters) may wonder if this new law is good or bad for horses.  According to the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, “Some say the ban brought unintended consequences that actually made conditions worse for horses.  Other still support the total ban.” 

In-Vitro Meat

If you don’t mind mutilating Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, let’s call this “the kindest cut of all.” No more dying for dinner.  Instead of slaughtering the animal, scientists merely take a small sample (think biopsy) and use it to grow more meat in the lab.  We talked about this research on the site twice before, but at that time predictions were for a 10-year wait.  Now, a Dutch biologist named Mark Post says we may find lab-made hamburger in our supermarkets within a year or so.  Will it taste delicious?  You may be better off with a nice slice of horsemeat, but time will tell.

Lab-made meat may be no bargain, but it would have many advantages. According to a Huffington Post article, about 40 billion animals are killed every year in the U.S. alone.  More than ¼ of the Earth’s total land surface is used for livestock grazing, factory farms, or other places where animals bred for the purpose of feeding humans are held.   Furthermore, global meat production accounts for 18% of greenhouse gases, the article says.  The moral and environmental problems indicated by these statistics would disappear with the substitution of in-vitro meat for the dead animals we enjoy today.  

Lab-made meat can be produced by growing muscle cells of a live animal. However, scientists also have to grow “an edible scaffolding which would allow them to organize into 3-D muscle fibers that can stretch and bend.”  The article goes on to say that the first available in-vitro meat will probably be “a combination of muscle fibers, fat cells (flavor) and blood vessels (for color and iron).”   This may not sound delicious, but the finished product would have no E. coli, salmonella, or antibiotics.  Would you give it a try?  Let us know. 

Source(s):

Chicago Tribune “Gallup poll needed on horse meat debate?” December 2, 2011

Council for Agricultural Science and Technology CAST FRIDAY NOTES,

“Neigh or Yea?” December 2, 2011

Timothy J. Bowser, Ph.D., Oklahoma State University, Dept. of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Karin E. Allen, Ph.D., Utah State University, Dept. of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences

Huffingtonpost.com Talk Nerdy to Me “In Vitro Meat: Will ‘Frankenfood’ Save the Planet or Just Gross out Consumers?” by Cara Santa Maria

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/05/in-vitro-meat_n_1185128.html

Shelflifeadvice.com “Novel Solutions to Meaty Problems” 

http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/novel-solutions-meaty-problem

http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/food-facts-past-present-and-future