An Alternative Source for Sustainable Nutrition and Protein Needs: Synthetic Meat (Cultured Meat)

Abstract

Nutritional deficiencies increase with an increase in population worldwide. They are important causes of diseases and deaths. Synthetic meat is among the future food sources for hunger prevention and sustainable nutrition. Synthetic meat is based on the reproduction of tissues from animals with advanced technology in a laboratory environment. In this way, it is thought that damages caused by the livestock sector to the environment and ethical problems resulting from slaughtering could be reduced. Although synthetic meat technology has improved, many issues have not been fully solved yet. Moreover, production of synthetic meats with desired flavor, texture and appearance have not been fully achieved. Producing this type of meats is very expensive. There are also other problems with the acceptance of this meat by communities for various sociocultural reasons. In order to understand the synthetic meat issue clearly, studies in this field should be increased and legislation and policies should be developed. This review aims to present the latest situation with updated information about synthetic meat.