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KFC is working with a Russian 3D bioprinting firm to try to make lab-produced chicken nuggets:
KFC is trying to create the world’s first laboratory-produced chicken nuggets, part of its “restaurant of the future” concept, the company announced. The chicken restaurant chain will work with Russian company 3D Bioprinting Solutions to develop bioprinting technology that will “print” chicken meat, using chicken cells and plant material.
KFC plans to provide the bioprinting firm with ingredients like breading and spices “to achieve the signature KFC taste” and will seek to replicate the taste and texture of genuine chicken.
It’s worth noting that the bioprinting process KFC describes uses animal material, so any nuggets it produced wouldn’t be vegetarian. KFC does offer a vegetarian option at some of its restaurants; last year it became the first US fast-food chain to test out Beyond Meat’s plant-based chicken product, which it plans to roll out to more of its locations this summer.
Bioprinted nuggets would be more environmentally friendly to produce than standard chicken meat, KFC says, citing (but not linking to) a study by the American Environmental Science and Technology Journal it says shows the benefits of growing meat from cells, including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption compared to traditional farming methods.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 20 2020, @12:59AM (6 children)
How do you get fatal bovine serum? Jack off the bull? I can see where that might be fatal . . .
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 20 2020, @01:11AM
Fatal for whom?
(Score: 5, Informative) by takyon on Monday July 20 2020, @01:12AM (4 children)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fetal_bovine_serum [wikipedia.org]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by zeigerpuppy on Monday July 20 2020, @11:09AM (3 children)
From the same Wikipedia article:
The first stage of the production process for fetal bovine serum is the harvesting of blood from the bovine fetus after the fetus is removed from the slaughtered cow. The blood is collected aseptically into a sterile container or blood bag and then allowed to clot. The normal method of collection is cardiac puncture, wherein a needle is inserted into the heart. This minimizes "the danger of serum contamination with micro-organisms from the fetus itself, and the environment".[6]
So unborn calf blood...
Interesting that it has some special characteristics that are not replicated by serum-free culture medium.
(Score: 3, Informative) by zeigerpuppy on Monday July 20 2020, @11:21AM (2 children)
So it's a lot less pretty the more you read.
About 1 million calves per year are drained of blood while they are still alive. I can understand that this is probably something we should be thinking of phasing out... definitely doesn't sound vegan (vampiric would probably be more accurate)...
Here's a more detailed description from van der Valk (2003) - (behind paywall)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14630056/ [nih.gov]
2. The welfare of fetal calves during blood (serum) collection
Collection of fetal calf blood (serum) occurs in some meat processing plants after the pregnant uterus has been removed from the slaughtered cow at the evisceration stage, which in different countries occurs at different times after the neck cut of the dam. It can occur as early as 5 min or as long as 25–40 min or more after slaughter of the cow (Jochems et al., 2002, Mellor & Gregory, 2003). Blood collection methods involve significant manipulation of the fetus, which in some cases may be suspended from an A-frame with application of an external device that simulates the pumping action of the heart while blood is drained from catheterised umbilical vessels, or the methods may be more invasive, involving insertion of a 12–16 gauge needle between the 4th and 5th rib into the fetal heart. Whatever the method used, if the fetus were to be aware (conscious) during the conduct of such procedures there is potential for it to experience significant pain and/or distress. This raises the issue of whether the fetus is likely to be aware, and if it is, what safeguards could be put in place to minimise any suffering it might experience during the blood collection procedure.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Monday July 20 2020, @12:56PM
My God, that's horrendous. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised though.
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 20 2020, @06:25PM
"This raises the issue of whether the fetus is likely to be aware, and if it is, what safeguards could be put in place to minimise any suffering it might experience during the blood collection procedure."
uhh, no. just fucking stop it, you dumb fucks.