Four years ago in London a group of scientists managed to create living cells from a piece of beef, which were then cooked the world’s first synthetic hamburger. Its major drawback is that the dish was very expensive: 5 years of research have cost a tidy sum – $ 300 thousand. The money is donated to one of the founders of Google Sergey Brin.
However, the idea of growing food in special bioreactors is becoming increasingly important. The growth of population reduced the area of farmland, so now need new technologies to solve food shortages.
One of the world leaders in this area is the VVT Technical Research Centre in Espoo, Finland. Researcher at the centre for Lauri Reuter has developed a small bioreactor, in its form resembling a capsule coffee machine within which Matures the edible cellular biomass. Currently, scientists are experimenting with the cells of Arctic BlackBerry, strawberry, birch and various grasses.
The human diet includes about eight cultures, while “out” are thousands of other edible plants, many of which contain useful items. According to the scientists cultured cells have several advantages over the natural product.
It is equally important that the use of the technology of cell cultivation will ensure the safety of many types of rare plants. Scientists do not doubt that over time the performance of the bioreactors will increase many times, and grown products will become food for future generations.
According to Lauri Reuter, in the near future already in their home bioreactor people will be able to grow your individual meals, like homemade bread or yogurt.
