Is there meat not contributing to greenhouse gases?

 

 

By Science Columnist Ho-Gwan Ko

 

 

Many people love meat. It’s delicious. It may taste better because it used to be hard to come by in the past. Unless you are a vegetarian, meatless meals may seem challenging.

We have discussed that raising livestock to produce meat is a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Forests that absorb a lot of carbon dioxide are destroyed to grow soybeans and corn for feed, and the methane from flatulence creates a greater greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide. As the standard of living rises, meat consumption is increasing, creating more serious issues.

There are two ways to stop the emissions of greenhouse gases from meat production. First, we need to stop eating meat. Second, we need to change the way meat is produced.

It’s not easy to live without eating meat. Although there are many vegetarians, we need to pay attention to what we eat to get enough protein that our body needs. Plus, most people find it difficult to cut back on meat.
For this reason, fake meat products have been released. Soybean meat has been around for a long time, but it hasn’t always tasted like real meat. The meat chunks in instant ramen is soybean meat.

Mock meat these days is more advanced to the point of being juicy like real meat. Impossible Burger, introduced in 2016, is made from plant-derived protein and ingredients such as coconut oil and salt. Plus, hemoglobin made by fermenting microorganisms is added to make it taste like real meat. A red protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen, hemoglobin gives the bloody taste of meat.

Plant-based meat is high in protein, yet low in fat and cholesterol. According to the producer, it emits only about one-eighth of greenhouse gases compared to beef patties. Since its launch, Impossible Burger has been on the menu at several restaurants in the United States. Currently, Burger King restaurants across the United States are selling the burger.

 ▲ Hamburgers made with a plant-based patty and an imitation meat patty.

To slow climate change, we need to change our way of eating meat.

Another solution is to produce meat in a different way: making meat without raising animals through cell cultures. It’s culturing muscle cells of livestock such as cows and pigs in test tubes to turn them into meat.

This method is much more efficient than the livestock industry. It doesn’t require large land, enormous water, or feed and causes no manure-based environmental pollution. Additionally, it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions by a quarter. While it takes years to raise cattle for beef or pork, cultured meat only takes weeks.

Another advantage is that the nutritional balance can be adjusted. You can control the content of fat and cholesterol and also add healthy ingredients such as omega-3 fatty acids. There will be no more livestock suffering from inhumane environments. Even those who have chosen to be vegetarians out of compassion for animals can eat cultured meat without guilt.

However, it still needs more time for cultured meat to be on the dinner table. As meat contains fat and tendons as well, they should also be imitated to mimic the taste of real meat.

Most of all, the price is too high for now. It costs millions of Korean won to make 1 kilogram of beef, which is definitely not affordable for general consumers. As technology improves in the future, cultured meat will become part of our diet at an affordable price. It's a much greener way to enjoy real meat.

However, there is still one concern: public pushback. No matter how similar plant-based meat tastes like real meat, people still could want to eat real meat. No matter how good cultured meat is, people still could feel reluctant to try it just because it was made in a factory or a lab. Perhaps the biggest barrier to eco-friendly meat is our stereotype that only meat obtained by killing animals is real meat.