Israeli food startup Aleph Farms has successfully grown bovine cells in space. From the International Space Station, some 400 kilometres above Earth, cells from a cow harvested on Earth were grown, assembled into small-scale muscle tissues in micro-gravity conditions, and then 3D printed in space.
While this experiment represented both a scientific feat and a PR stunt, it speaks on many questions at the forefront of the foodservice and food production industries. Highlighting the fact that meat production on Earth takes vast amounts of space, and water, Didier Toubia, co-founder and CEO of Aleph Farms simply said, “In space, we don’t have the 10,000 or 15,000 litres of water available to produce one kilo of beef.” Cultured meat, like the protein grown in space, represents one possible solution, or part of the resolution, of the sustainable protein production problems.
