‘Frankenburger,’ World’s First Test-Tube Meat Patty, Taste-Tested in London
The 'Frankenburger' is being tasted on a very public stage in London on Monday.
Professor Mark Post of Maastricht University in the Netherlands will be unveiling, cooking and eating his test tube burger in front of an invited audience.
The burger was assembled from 'cultured beef,' grown in a lab from stem cells taken from cow muscle tissue. Other ingredients have been added to the finished product to make it look more palatable, and, yes, more like a traditional burger. Items like breadcrumbs and beet juice have been added to make it, pardon the pun, beefier, as well as 'bring out its natural colors.'
Post says the cells have not been altered in any way, other than being grown in the laboratory under tension to promote the growth of the muscle fibers.
The urge to create beef in the lab came from a desire to create sustainable beef, according to Post, who says his method is more ethical and environmentally-friendly than the traditional raising and slaughtering of cattle.
You can watch Post make culinary history by clicking here.