Meat alternatives have been gaining popularity in recent years. These plant-based foods are designed to help people who choose to cut back on the amount of meat they eat without losing the experience they enjoy or key nutrients like iron and protein.
While great strides have been made in producing lab-grown meat, the cost of the product remains a barrier to their wide commercial use. A British start-up has recently created what it claims is a less expensive alternative.
Genetically Engineered Soy Bean
In June 2023, molecular farming company Moolec Science revealed that it had successfully inserted pig genes into soy plants to make beans with expressed porcine proteins. The experiments were performed at the company's greenhouse located in Wisconsin.
The company is owned by Gastón Paladini, who came from a family of pork dealers. In 1923, his great-grandfather Don Juan Paladini started a business that became one of the largest meat producers in Argentina. In 2020, Gastón tried to capture the essence of pork to be placed inside a plant, an experiment that packed all the pork flavor into a seedling.
Paladini'a goal was to turn plants into tiny, field-based factories that can produce high-value proteins and other nutrients that can supplement existing products, and provide a meaty experience to plant-based food. The transgenic soya beans created to contain 26% animal protein are called "Piggy Sooy."
The plants will be raised by farmers using conventional agricultural practices. Once the soybeans have been harvested and processed with conventional techniques, their proteins will be used for meat substitutes and other products. Due to this genetic engineering, the interior of the soybean appears to have a rosy flesh color.
Moolec is also currently creating pea plants that contain beef proteins. The company claims its products can offer taste, texture, and nutritional value similar to real meat but without the high costs associated with the cultured version.
Are Engineered Meat Safe?
GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are organisms that contain genetic material manipulated artificially in a laboratory. Genetic modification of foods and organisms produces combinations of plant, bacteria, and virus genes, which do not usually occur in nature.
The team behind Piggy Sooy hopes that the commercial adoption of their product could eliminate the need to raise and slaughter pigs. However, such practice also comes with ethical and environmental concerns.
Researchers discovered gene editing wreaks havoc in the plant genome and may cause unintended genetic changes that can affect large parts of the genome. Genetic changes can occur in plants from just one alteration, including the production of novel toxins, the production of novel allergens, and alterations in the biochemical composition of the plant. In response to gene editing, animals and humans may exhibit unintended genetic changes.
Because of this, plants obtained from new genetic engineering cannot be regarded as safe unless they are thoroughly investigated for risks. Without exact genomic analyses, experts may overlook chromothripsis or complex chromosomal rearrangement.
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