Future Meat Technologies, a company developing food technology to create cultivated meat, has produced its first cultivated lamb product which it says tastes and cooks like ground lamb meat.
"Since lamb has a uniquely distinct flavor, it is very clear if a cultivated substitute is on or off the mark," said Michael Lenahan, general manager of Future Meat, in a statement. "The reason Future Meat's cultivated lamb is indistinguishable from conventional lamb is because it is, first and foremost, real meat.”
The protein is produced through the isolation of specific cells, called the fibroblast cells, that came from Awassi sheep ovine cell lines.
"Future Meat has been the first company to remove Fetal Bovine Serum, and all other animal components, from its growth media," said Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, president, founder, and chief science officer of Future Meat Technologies, in a statement. "Future Meat's approach leans on the natural spontaneous immortalization of fibroblasts, rather than genetic modification. This is the key to Future Meat's cells being non-GMO."
The Israel-based company is using its new product to expand its global initiative, with plans to target The European Union, the world’s largest lamb consumer, as well as countries across the Middle East, Northern Africa, and parts of Asia.
Along with its global expansion efforts, the company is also preparing to enter the U.S. market this year, scaling up the production of its chicken and lamb products.
"The key learnings will be leveraged as we work to produce other meats, including beef and pork, increasing Future Meat's market offerings for consumers," said Nicole Johnson-Hoffman, CEO of Future Meat, in a statement.
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