Perhaps the most audacious biotechnology breakthrough of recent years is cultured beef rice, a hybrid food that literally grows animal muscle and fat cells inside rice grains. Korean scientists add a new recipe to the list—cultured beef rice—by growing animal muscle and fat cells inside rice grains, creating what may be the most unexpected food fusion ever developed….
The team first coated rice with fish gelatin, a safe and edible ingredient that helps cells latch onto the rice better. Cow muscle and fat stem cells were then seeded into the rice and left to culture in the petri dish for 9 to 11 days. The resulting hybrid rice exhibits a pale pink color and possesses significantly enhanced nutritional properties. The findings of their study show that cultured beef rice has 8% more protein and 7% more fat than regular rice, making it a more complete food source that could address protein deficiencies in rice-dependent populations.
