Researchers at Tufts University have genetically engineered cow muscle cells to produce beta carotene. Beta carotene is a plant nutrient, found in vegetables like sweet potatoes and carrots, that acts a potent antioxidant in the body. Their research demonstrates the ability of cell-cultured meat to surpass the nutritional profile of conventionally farmed meat. Their research is published in the journal Metabolic Engineering.
"Cows don't have any of the genes for producing beta carotene," said Andrew Stout, lead author of the study and Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. student at Tufts University. "We engineered cow muscle cells to produce this and other phytonutrients, which in turn allows us to impart those nutritional benefits directly onto a cultured meat product in a way that is likely infeasible through animal transgenics and conventional meat production."
Stout continued, "We saw a reduction in lipid oxidation levels when we cooked a small pellet of these cells when they were expressing and producing this beta carotene". "Because that lipid oxidation is one of the key mechanistic proposals for red and processed meats' link to diseases such as colorectal cancer, I think that there is a pretty compelling argument to be made that this could potentially reduce that risk."
The ability of genetically altering meat and animal products to include plant components may give researchers the ability to combat vitamin deficiencies while maintaining production costs. Such advances could revolutionize the food chain for generations to come. However, there will be some hurdles to jump initially.
"It will likely be challenging for cultured meat to be competitively priced with factory farmed meat right out of the gate," said David Kaplan, Stern Family Professor of Engineering at the Tufts University School of Engineering and corresponding author of the study. "A value-added product which provides consumers with added health benefits may make them more willing to pay for a cultured meat product."