Hybrid foods are food products that are made by combining different ingredients or using innovative technologies to create new and often more sustainable foods, which may include, for example, combining plant and animal proteins, integrating animal cells into plant matrices, or even foods created using 3D printing or cell culture technologies.
Some of these products are already marketed, such as hamburgers that mix meat and vegetables, which have gained popularity for both health and environmental reasons. However, more technologically advanced hybrid foods, such as those using nanotechnology or advanced cell culture, are still in the development stages because they require considerable research, as well as regulatory approvals, before they can be introduced into the market. market.
Now, a team of Korean scientists has added a new recipe to the list by creating a pink hybrid food resulting from growing animal fat cells inside rice grains. The technique used is explained in an article published in Matter magazine, where they point out that it is a nutritious and tasty product, which when marketed could constitute a more affordable protein alternative than meat and with a smaller carbon footprint, therefore which would also be more ecological.
Nutritious and organic rice with cellular proteins
The development of new foods is key to limiting the environmental and ethical impact associated with industrial agriculture and livestock farming, and the objective of the study was to create a food ingredient with adequate nutritional properties and a pleasant flavor that would serve as a basis for creating various types of future hybrid foods. As the researchers indicate, in the long term, this system of self-production of grain-based hybrid foods could improve the nutrition of the population in underdeveloped countries, as well as during armed conflicts and in space.
Imagine getting all the nutrients we need from rice with cellular proteins, said first author Sohyeon Park, who carried out the study under the guidance of Jinkee Hong at Yonsei University in South Korea. Rice already has a high level of nutrients, but adding livestock cells can increase it even more.
In animals, biological scaffolds help guide and support the three-dimensional growth of cells to form tissues and organs. To create cell-cultured meat, the team mimicked this cellular environment using rice. Rice grains are porous and have organized structures, which provide a solid scaffolding to house cells of animal origin inside. Certain molecules found in rice can also nourish and promote the growth of these cells, making rice an ideal platform.
The team first coated rice with fish gelatin, a safe, edible ingredient that helps cells cling better to the rice. The cows’ muscle and fat stem cells were seeded into the rice and allowed to grow in the petri dish for nine to 11 days. The final product is rice grown with beef cells, whose main ingredients meet food safety requirements and have a low risk of triggering food allergies.
To characterize the meat hybrid rice, the researchers steamed it and conducted various food industry analyses, including nutritional value, odor, and texture. The findings revealed that hybrid rice has 8% more protein and 7% more fat than regular rice. Compared to the typical sticky and soft texture, the hybrid rice was firmer and more brittle. Hybrid rice with higher muscle content had odor compounds related to meat and almonds, while those with higher fat content had compounds corresponding to cream, butter and coconut oil.
The final product is rice grown with beef cells, whose main ingredients meet food safety requirements and have a low risk of triggering food allergies.
We get much of the protein we need from meat, but livestock production consumes a lot of resources and water and releases a lot of greenhouse gases, Park said. However, the carbon footprint of the product they have created is significantly smaller and it is much cheaper. It is estimated that for every 100 g of protein produced, hybrid rice releases less than 6.27 kg of CO2, while beef releases 49.89 kg. If commercialized, hybrid rice could cost around $2.23 per kilogram, while beef costs $14.88.
Considering that hybrid meat rice has low food safety risks and a relatively easy production process, the team is optimistic about the commercialization of the product, but before this food is included in the diet, the researchers aim to create better conditions in the rice grain for muscle and fat cells to thrive, which can further increase its nutritional value.
Park said in a press release that he didn’t expect cells to grow so well in rice, and that he now sees a world of possibilities for this grain-based hybrid food, and believes it could one day help end famine. , and improve military rations, or even space food.
