Scie tists
e gi ee
lettuce
a d
tobacco
to
p oduce
myoglobi
fo
meat
alte atives
Let
us
accept
it:
livestock
fa mi g
is
a
heavy
bu de
o
the
e vi o me t.
Raisi g
a imal
feed
takes
vast
amou ts
of
la d
a d
huge
supplies
of
f eshwate ,
a d
it
adds
to
global
wa mi g
by
eleasi g
metha e
a d
it ous
oxide.
Ma y
co sume s
also
wo y
about
a imal
welfa e.
These
p essu es
a e
helpi g
to
fuel
the
apid
expa sio
of
the
global
meat-alte ative
ma ket,
ow
estimated
to
be
wo th
betwee
€6.7
billio
a d
€8.1
billio
a
yea .
The
ma ket
is
expected
to
g ow
at
a
CAGR
of
8.1%-12.3%
du i g
the
ext
10
yea s.
I
such
situatio s,
mic obial
e gi ee i g
is
a
commo
way
of
p oduci g
meat
substitutes.
This
mea s
i se ti g
ge es
fo
a imal
p otei s
i to
bacte ia
o
yeast
a d
g owi g
the
o ga isms
i
bio eacto s
to
p oduce
the
desi ed
p otei s.
Acco di g
to
epo ts,
ow
scie tists
have
show
a othe
possible
oute:
maki g
a imal
p otei s
usi g
pla ts
as
facto ies.
Acco di g
to
a
ews
epo t
published
by
Phys
O g,
esea che s
a d
collabo ato s
at
Impe ial
College
Lo do
have
ge etically
e gi ee ed
lettuce
a d
tobacco
pla ts
to
make
myoglobi ,
a
impo ta t
p otei
fou d
i
a imal
muscle.
Thei
fi di gs,
published
i
F o tie s
i
Pla t
Scie ce,
i dicate
that
pla ts
might
eve tually
become
a
mo e
sustai able
sou ce
of
myoglobi
fo
pla t-based
meat
p oducts.
Feedi g
pla ts
a
taste
of
meat
Fo
the
u i itiated,
myoglobi
is
p ese t
i
the
hea t
a d
skeletal
muscles
of
ve teb ates.
The
p otei
is
i o -co tai i g,
givi g
it
the
umami
a d
metallic
qualities
of
meat.
Also,
oxyge
bou d
to
myoglobi
gives
meat
its
typical
ed
colo .
Acco di g
to
the
epo t,
fi st,
the
esea che s
clo ed
the
ge es
that
p oduce
myoglobi
i
pigs
a d
cattle.
They
the
used
a
tech ique
called
a
ge e
gu
to
physically
i se t
copies
of
these
ge es
i to
the
chlo oplasts
of
tobacco
a d
lettuce
seedli gs.It
is
also
me tio ed
that
chlo oplasts
a e
o ga elles
i
pla t
cells
whe e
photosy thesis
takes
place.
Some
of
the
t a sfo med
seedli gs
successfully
i teg ated
the
a imal
ge es
i to
the
small
ci cula
ge omes
i
thei
chlo oplasts.
The
pla ts
we e
the
g ow
to
matu ity,
flowe ed
a d
set
seed
a d
the
t a sge es
we e
i he ited
by
thei
p oge y.
To
compa e,
the
scie tists
also
i se ted
myoglobi
ge es
i to
the
uclea
ge omes
of
tobacco
a d
lettuce
a d
i to
the
chlo oplasts
of
the
si gle-celled
g ee
alga
Chlamydomo as
ei ha dtii.
Chlo oplasts
p oduce
mo e
p otei
To
compa e,
the
scie tists
also
i se ted
myoglobi
ge es
i to
the
uclea
ge omes
of
tobacco
a d
lettuce
a d
i to
the
chlo oplasts
of
the
si gle-celled
g ee
alga
Chlamydomo as
ei ha dtii.
The
esea che s
fou d
that
chlo oplasts
we e
especially
good
at
maki g
myoglobi .
This
is
pa tly
due
to
the
evolutio a y
o igi
of
chlo oplasts
as
bacte ia,
a d
the
abu da ce
of
copies
of
the
chlo oplast
ge ome
i
each
pla t
cell.
The
scie tists
used
liquid
ch omatog aphy-mass
spect omet y
to
dete mi e
a
myoglobi
yield
of
app oximately
800
millig ams
pe
kilog am
of
d y
tobacco
a d
810
millig ams
pe
kilog am
of
d y
lettuce.
These
levels
we e
at
least
3-fold
highe
tha
those
obtai ed
by
i se ti g
the
myoglobi
ge e
i to
the
uclea
ge ome
of
tobacco.
Mea while,
eal
meat
co tai s
about
8.1-11.2
millig ams
of
myoglobi
pe
g am
of
d y
weight.The
yields
f om
the
pla t
p oductio
must
still
be
imp oved,
but
the
esea che s
a gue
that
the
cultivatio
of
pla ts
could
fi ally
offe
majo
esou ce
adva tages
ove
livestock
fa mi g.
I
theo y,
p oduci g
a imal
p otei s
i
c ops
might
p ovide
la ge
amou ts
of
p otei
pe
hecta e
with
much
less
wate
a d
g ee house
gas
emissio s.
F om
lab
pla ts
to
meat
alte atives
It
is
epo ted
that
myoglobi
could
be
isolated
f om
pla t
leaves
a d
pu ified
by
co ve tio al
i dust ial
p otei
pu ificatio
methods.
The
ext
questio
is
whethe
the
tech ology
ca
be
scaled
fo
comme cial
p oductio ?
It
is
epo ted
that
myoglobi
could
be
isolated
f om
pla t
leaves
a d
pu ified
by
co ve tio al
i dust ial
p otei
pu ificatio
methods.
The
esulti g
a imal
myoglobi
ca
the
be
added
to
pla t-based
meat
p oducts
to
imp ove
thei
colo ,
flavo ,
a d
ut itio al
p ope ties.
The
scie tists
also
see
a
ut itio al
applicatio
fo
the
ge etically
e gi ee ed
lettuce.
Lettuce
e gi ee ed
to
p oduce
myoglobi
could
be
developed
as
a
heme
i o -e iched
food,
if
egulatio s
pe mit.
The
study
is
cu e tly
p oof
of
p i ciple,
ot
a
eady-made
tech ology
fo
comme cial
use.
But
it
does
show
that
edible
c ops
could
o e
day
become
biological
facto ies
fo
the
p oductio
of
pa ticula
a imal
p otei s,
p ovidi g
a othe
oute
to
mo e
sustai able
meat
alte atives.Images
Cou tesy:
istock
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