South Korean scientists consider "beef rice" to be the protein source of the future

South Korean researchers are growing beef cells in rice grains. According to them, this can be a sustainable, affordable and environmentally friendly source of meat replacement protein and can replace cattle raised for meat production. Jinkee Hong, a professor at Yonsei University in Seoul who described the research published this month in the journal Matter, said the "beef rice" is the first such product. It uses grain pellets to grow animal muscle and fat cells. In the research, rice grains were treated with enzymes to create an optimal environment for cell growth, and then cattle cells were introduced, which were cultured to form the final product, which resembles a pinkish grain of rice. Yonsei's team is not the first to work on lab-grown meat substitutes. Companies around the world are trying to produce meat substitutes; one of the latest is soy-based plant-based chicken and eel, which is marketed in Singapore. According to Hong's team, rice is safer than soy or nuts because ...