Lab grown meat? Surely it's a matter of taste...

Earlier this week Professor Mark Post and his team definitively showed the world media that it is possible to grow strands of cow muscle in vitro​ and then mush them up to make a burger.

That alone is a wonderful achievement. But will this breakthrough really transform the way we eat?

I'm not so sure. It certainly has the potential to quite literally save the world from starvation (if pricing issues are overcome). But then so do GM technologies, and they have hardly been accepted with open arms.

Perfecting the taste​

The first thing I must say is that the responses of people who tasted the cultured beef burger this week did not fill me with excitement.

Apparently it was a bit bland. But the texture was good, and I guess that's a bonus.

Can the flavour be improved? Without doubt.

In fact Richard McGeown, the chef who cooked the burger, told me that had he been given a pile of plain 'in vitro mince'​ rather than a pre-made burger he could have fashioned a supremely tasty treat by adding in some onion, spices, and other yummy bits and pieces that are usually found in a burger.

Of course, as a 'proof of principle' this one didn't warrant it. The researchers wanted to show off a 'pure' lab grown burger. I hope we all understand that point.

In the real world, once the meat was grown, any product made with it would be formulated with flavour and taste perception as the key. This was not done, but would be in commercial production.

I am confident that when - not if - the food industry eventually take this idea on, they will sort out any taste issues with ease.

A taste for ethics?​

There is still, however, a massive debate to be had when it comes to the wider acceptance of a lab grown burger; not just from a taste, or even a safety point of view - but also from an ethical one.

The meat grown by Post in his lab used stem cell technology to generate up to 10kilos of beef muscle tissue from just two or three stem cells taken from organically reared prize cows. Given its source, the meat is theoretically of great 'quality' - and it never harms the cows.

But would you eat it? Would a vegetarian eat it? Would you feed it to your kids, or a pregnant woman?

Let's start with the easy one. Personally, I see no reason why people who consume cheap beef burgers made with off cuts of cow would not want this burger. I'd eat one. In fact I was disappointed to not have had chance of a nibble earlier this week.

In theory, it's a much better quality burger. Once you get over the 'lab-grown gross' factor its actually quite exciting. No more ground up cow anus and testicle (or horse?) in your burger - just lovely bits of muscle from an organic cow.

So what about the veggies? Several I have spoken to said that they would consider it. Given that there is zero cruelty to animals. Indeed, PETA and the Vegetarian Society have already expressed support for the idea.

PETA is so enthusiastic about this technology - which Professor Post estimates could slash the need for livestock by a million fold - that it has now thrown down the gauntlet to science.

"PETA is offering a $1 million reward to the first scientist to produce and bring to market in vitro chicken meat,"​ reads a PETA statement.

Why? Because while beef production might have the biggest environmental impact, but chicken production is the cruellest, says PETA.

A HISTORIC DAY! PETA is very proud 2 also be funding lab work on slaughter-free meat: http://t.co/UNsJnmrSZi RT if u'd try it! #culturedbeef

— PETA (@peta) August 5, 2013

Meanwhile, Julian Savulescu, Professor of Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford, UK, also came out in support of the idea of cultured meat: “Artificial meat stops cruelty to animals, is better for the environment, could be safer and more efficient, and even healthier,"​ said Savulescu. "We have a moral obligation to support this kind of research. It gets the ethical two thumbs up."​

He suggested that the advent of lab grown meats could see a sharp rise in 'ethical veganism' - "as one could avoid eating real meat without sacrificing an integral part of many people’s diet."​

"Indeed, this may be a watershed moment for animal welfare – if artificial meat manages to catch on and take over a large portion of the market,"​ he said.

So, would a vegetarian eat it? I'm still not still not so sure.

Perhaps those who chose to avoid meat for purely animal welfare reasons might switch to a diet that could also include in vitro​ meat. But there are many who chose to avoid meat for other reasons, for example health.

High consumption of red meat is linked with a number of health issues. In the same way that I see no obvious reason why in vitro​ meat would cause safety problems (it's just meat after all), I also assume that eating lab grown meat would carry similar risks to eating meat from a cow that has been sent to slaughter.

I guess in that respect it really will be a matter of personal preference, then. A matter of taste.​

What do YOU think?​​ Leave your comments below.