Tel Aviv University bioengineer Amit Gefen has been tasked with determining the strategies, challenges, and solution of growing a cultured chicken breast; he intends to start with one cell and allow it to multiply into a whole piece.

 

A team in Israel has begun to research the development of lab-grown chicken meat. The feasibility study began in January 2015 and headed by Tel Aviv University bioengineer Amit Gefen, aims to document the challenges, solutions, and execution of producing a cultured chicken breast. Gefen intends to start with one chicken cell and allow it to multiply to become a whole piece. This is considered a more difficult process than the bundling of cow muscle fibers used in the Netherlands to make the first lab-grown hamburger two years ago. The chicken project is being funded by Israel's Modern Agriculture Foundation whose motivation is to produce meat made with a "significantly reduced ecological footprint" and with superior health and safety standards compared to farm-raised livestock. Man-made meat is considered one of the few ways to satisfy growing consumer demand without putting further strains on the environment. One of the foundation's leaders is hoping the research will produce "a recipe for how to culture chicken cells" by later this year.

Business: "Chicken Meat To Be Grown In Lab"