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<\/div>Cultured meat, with added flavour<\/p>\n
Yonsei University<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n
Lab-grown meat could get a flavour boost thanks to aromatic chemicals that activate when cooked, releasing a meaty smell \u2013 or if you prefer, that of coffee or potatoes.<\/p>\n
Meat grown from cultured cells<\/a> can already be created in various forms that resemble slaughtered meat, including steak and meatballs<\/a>, but matching the taste has proven more challenging. Traditional meat flavours are extremely complex and volatile and don\u2019t survive the lengthy laboratory process.<\/p>\n One key component of the taste of cooked meat is the Maillard reaction, named after a French chemist who discovered that unique flavours are created in cooked food at between 140 and 165\u00b0C (280 to 330 \u00b0F). Jinkee Hong<\/a> at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, and his colleagues say they have worked out a way to simulate the Maillard reaction by adding \u201cswitchable flavour compounds\u201d (SFCs) into a 3D gelatine-based hydrogel, called a scaffold, that remain stable while the meat is cultured.<\/p>\n Once heated to 150\u00b0C, the chemicals \u201cswitch on\u201d and release their flavours, improving the cultured protein\u2019s palatability. \u201cWe actually smelled the meaty flavour upon heating the SFCs,\u201d says Hong, though he wouldn\u2019t confirm whether the team had actually eaten the meat.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n These SFCs can also be used to create different flavour profiles. For example, the researchers tested three compounds and say they produced flavours simulating roasted meat, coffee, roasted nuts, onions and potatoes. \u201cWe can diversify and customise the flavour compounds released from the SFC,\u201d says Hong.<\/p>\n One big issue is that the chemicals involved aren\u2019t currently seen as safe for human consumption. \u201cBecause the materials and culture medium are not approved as edible materials, we cannot ensure the safety of it,\u201d Hong says. \u201cHowever, we think that our strategy can also be applied to conventional edible materials, which would be safer than the materials used in this study.\u201d<\/p>\n