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So why are all the engineered meat startups targeting pretty common meats that are fairly low cost? Why not a something like tuna which is endangered and can s
by digikata 10y ago
So why are all the engineered meat startups targeting pretty common meats that are fairly low cost? Why not a something like tuna which is endangered and can sell at a really high cost per pound. Take the Tesla strategy and build for a high-end exotic market that can sustain a high-margin first then get into position for the wider, lower margin market.
- greglindahl 10y agoOne meat startup went into high-end leather: http://www.modernmeadow.com/ http://www.modernmeadow.com/ Another algae-to-make-food company went into high-end oils for cosmetics: http://www.solazyme.com/ http://www.solazyme.com/ (and some other industrial things, from what I see now)
- jimmywanger 10y agoAny high end cut of meat (dry aged ribeye, tuna belly) is orders of magnitude harder to make realistic than low end meat. With high end stuff, you're really catering to the connoisseur. And if you can tell the difference between a dry-aged ribeye and a wet-aged ribeye, think about making a lab grown substitute for that level of discernment. In fact, I read somewhere that the reason California rolls were invented was because somebody noticed that avocados have roughly the same fat content and mouthfeel as tuna belly, and was swapped in.
- digikata 10y agoIt seems to me that the macroscopic tissue structure of tuna I see in sushi is simpler and more consistent that of a ribeye steak, but I'm no biologist. The dry vs wet aged ribeye is a little off to me too, don't they have the input of a raw steak (engineered or natural) if you're going to put it into an aging process?
- jimmywanger 10y ago> macroscopic tissue structure of tuna I think the problem is to get the exact distribution of the fat through the tuna, but I'm not sure. I mean, you can just sort of slather on lard to regular tuna, but it's the texture and marbling that people are going for not just pure fat content. >The dry vs wet aged ribeye is a little off to me too Well, in this case, dry aging really allows the enzymes present in the meat to start breaking down the meat. When you're engineering a steak, I think you're just engineering mostly the macros and structure of the meat.
- shostack 10y agoI agree, screw common meat. Let's get interesting and take the bottom out of things like poaching by doing rare game meats, or creating entirely new engineered meats that are tastier and healthier than nature. I do worry though on the impact this will ultimately have on the farming industry and jobs. It is a slightly subtler form of job automation.
- henrikschroder 10y agoWhy worry? The meat industry is completely disgusting, and raising animals for slaughter is morally bad. The sooner we can disrupt this industry and stop killing animals, the better. I have zero remorse for the farmers that will be impacted. I just had a fantastic dinner with a perfectly fried beef tenderloin steak. It was delicious. If this could be made cheaper, faster, better, and without having to kill a cow every time, that's an absolute win for everyone.
- ada1981 10y agoWait.. what? "The meat industry is completely disgusting, and raising animals for slaughter is morally bad." but yet > "I just had a fantastic dinner with a perfectly fried beef tenderloin steak."
- henrikschroder 10y agoIf I define morality such that I always make good moral decisions, then it's not morality, it's subjective post-rationalization mish-mash. For morality to be true and relevant, we have to be able to consciously make bad moral choices.
- ada1981 10y agoThat's an interesting take on it. What is it like to consciously make decisions you feel are morally bad?
- 10y ago
- jlebrech 10y agoor why not human? yum.