The machine is discreet, silent and effective. Muscle comes out of one container, fat comes out of the other. A few passes of the printer, and there it is: a ruddy, bloodless steak. That’s how things work steak foodthe Israeli company that made world news on April 19, when the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu tested meat made without cows and fish made without fish at its facility in the city of Rehovot.
The procedure sounds simple. From a batch of stem cells, Spit select those that will generate meat of better quality and flavor. In the absence of a cow, he places them in a bioreactor (container under controlled conditions) that feeds them, presumably with serum. They then differentiate between muscle and fat cells. That will be the input of the “bio ink” that is loaded into the printer. When the cut is chosen, the machine produces a compact piece with a certain shine, which is incubated for a few weeks so that the cells continue differentiating, and thus the desired density, thickness and size will be obtained.
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During the tour, company executives explained to netanyahu that could print tons of meat per day. “Tons?”, the premier repeated, absorbed, who took a bite of a piece of meat and another of the fish. “It’s a global revolution,” he summed up. The next step, anticipate, will be the milk without cows.
After the United States, Israel is the country that invests the most in the alternative protein industry, with more than a hundred companies. Not surprising in the Jewish nation, accustomed to resorting to technology to overcome spatial limitations. “We want to transform the way in which the world is supplied and supplied,” says SpitOur goals are to preserve ecosystems, protect animal welfare, and keep food and water safe.
A look from the periphery
“Cellular farming is part of the evolution of this industry,” confirms a Fontevecchia mode, Diego Gaunacoordinator of the Prospective area of the INTA. “It is a long race, for now more technological than commercial, led by the United States, Australia and Israel. As it requires high engineering and technology capabilities, we are still in an experimental stage. Later will come the regulations, the need for there to be no contamination in the processes and the opinion of consumers”.
Although he has been following the theme for seven years, gauna recognizes that “today it is not on the agenda” in Argentina, where “there was always resistance.” Beyond the lack of expertise, “There are political issues: this industry competes with the most important sector in the country. The ranchers are totally against it and argue that only what comes from cattle can be called meat; They don’t want this to end up in the supermarket.” Although the debate is global, it promises to intensify strongly in these pampas.
MVB JL
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