Could rice-farmed beef be the food of the future?

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From lab-grown chicken to protein derived from cockroaches, these innovative alternatives offer hope for a planet struggling with the environmental and ethical impacts of industrial agriculture. Now, Korean scientists are adding a new recipe to the list, which is cultured beef rice, by growing animal muscles and fat cells inside rice grains. The method was presented February 14 in the journal Themeresulting in a nutritious and delicious hybrid food that, once commercialized, could provide an affordable protein alternative with a smaller carbon footprint.

“Imagine we get all the nutrients we need from cell-grown protein rice,” says first author So Hyun Park, who conducted the study under corresponding author Jinki Hong at Yonsei University in South Korea. “Rice already has a high level of nutrients, but adding cells from livestock can further enhance it.”

In animals, biological scaffolds help guide and support three-dimensional cell growth to form tissues and organs. To grow cell-cultured meat, the team mimicked this cellular environment using rice. Rice grains are porous and have organized structures, providing a solid scaffold to house animal-derived cells in nooks and crannies. Certain molecules found in rice can also nourish and promote the growth of these cells, making rice an ideal platform.

The team first coated the rice with fish gelatin, a safe, edible ingredient that helps cells adhere to the rice better. The cow's muscle and fat stem cells were then cultured in rice and left to culture in a Petri dish for 9 to 11 days. The final harvested product is cell cultured beef rice with key ingredients that meet food safety requirements and have a low risk of triggering food allergies.

To characterize the hybrid beef rice, the researchers steamed it and performed various food industry analyses, including nutritional value, aroma and texture. The results revealed that hybrid rice contains 8% more protein and 7% more fat than regular rice. Compared to the typical sticky and smooth texture, the hybrid rice was firmer and more fragile. Hybrid rice with a higher muscle content has beef and almond-smelling compounds, while those with a higher fat content have compounds similar to cream, butter and coconut oil.

“We usually get our protein from livestock, but livestock production consumes a lot of resources and water and releases a lot of greenhouse gases,” Park says. The team product has a much smaller carbon footprint and at a fraction of the price. For every 100 grams of protein produced, hybrid rice is expected to release less than 6.27 kg of carbon dioxide, while beef releases 49.89 kg. If marketed commercially, hybrid rice might cost about $2.23 per kilogram, while beef costs $14.88.

Since hybrid meat rice has low food safety risks and a relatively easy production process, the team is optimistic about commercializing the product. But before the rice reaches our stomachs, the team plans to create better conditions in the rice grain for muscle and fat cells to grow, which could boost nutritional value.

“I didn't expect the cells to grow so well in rice,” Park says. “Now I see a world of possibilities for this grain-based hybrid food. It could one day serve as food famine relief, military rations, or even space food.”

reference: Park et al. Rice grains integrated with animal cells: a shortcut to a sustainable diet. Theme. 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.matt.2024.01.015

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