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'Meat' from space

10 Oct 2019

Aleph Farms, a food company that grows cultivated beef steaks, has successfully taken “one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind” in producing meat on the International Space Station, 248 miles (339 km) away from any natural resources.

Through an international collaboration with 3D Bioprinting Solutions (Russia), which develops implementations of 3D bioprinting technologies, Meal Source Technologies (USA) and Finless Foods (USA)— Aleph Farms believes it is making significant progress toward fulfilling its promise: to enable on Earth unconditional access to safe and nutritious meat anytime, anywhere, while using minimal resources.

'Meat' from space

Aleph Farms’ production method of cultivated beef steaks relies on mimicking a natural process of muscle-tissue regeneration occurring inside the cow’s body, but under controlled conditions. Within the framework of this experiment on 26 September on the Russian segment of the ISS, a successful proof of concept was established in assembling a small-scale muscle tissue in a 3D bioprinter developed by 3D Bioprinting Solutions, under micro-gravity conditions. This research in some of the most extreme environments imaginable, the company says, serves as an essential growth indicator of sustainable food production methods that don’t exacerbate land waste, water waste, and pollution.

“In space, we don’t have 10,000 litres of water available to produce one kilo of beef,” said Didier Toubia, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms. “This joint experiment marks a significant first step toward achieving our vision to ensure food security for generations to come, while preserving our natural resources. This keystone of human achievement in space follows Yuri Gagarin’s success of becoming the first man to journey into outer space, and Neil Armstrong’s 50th anniversary this year, celebrating the moment when the first man walked on space.”

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