Only a few years ago, if someone offered to serve you a burger that looked and tasted like beef, but was made out of plants, you would have called it science fiction.
But Beyond Meat and Impossible Burgers plant-based meat alternatives are now readily available in supermarkets and fast food restaurants in the UAE and around the world.
Now the new frontier in alternative meat is cellular, where steaks are grown in laboratories over a period of only a month.
One company that has worked out the biotechnology to grow cuts of beef is Aleph Farms.
It is now in talks to grow lamb meat in the UAE.
Gary Brenner is vice president of product and market development for the Israeli company, and a veteran of more than thirty years in the food industry.
“A lot of the other companies are doing minced meat of one kind or another, or just certain tissue cells,” he said.
"We're doing the whole muscle product and that's what we're going to bring to market in the future.
"The idea is to produce locally. When it comes to the tissue cells we want to collaborate with local biotech research laboratories, and to source the tissue cells from a sheep locally.”
While it is likely to be a couple of years before UAE residents can sit down to enjoy a lamb chop grown at a local lab , Aleph Farms are pushing forward with their beef plans.
A commercial-scale pilot plant is set to be operational before the end of this year.
Aleph Foods grows entire muscles, making the type of product consumers instantly recognise as a cut of steak.
Mr Brenner said no animals are slaughtered in the process of creating the meat, as cells can be taken from cows and sheep without injury.
“The steaks are grown in controlled conditions, in bioreactors, and the bioreactors look very much like what you see in big yoghurt factors,” he said
The process is fully automated and there is no human contact.
“They grow in a liquid growth media. Part of it is minerals and nutrients, and in some cases it’s what we call recombinant proteins.
“We can grow the steaks very quickly, because we can feed the cells as much as we want. There are no antibiotics and no genetically modified products.”
An environmental imperative
At present more than 50 billion kilograms of beef are consumed annually worldwide. Demand is set to increase, as the world's population is predicted to grow to nearly 10 billion by 2050.
Farm-grown meat is considered environmentally unsustainable by many climate activists. A recent study published in Science magazine found that producing a kilo of beef emits 60kg of greenhouse gases.
Gulfood 2021:
As consumers become more conscious of the consequences of their food choices, the global market for meat alternatives is growing faster than any other segment of the food industry, with an expected value of $140 billion annually by 2030.
But will these creative new meat solutions ever be affordable?
Adriaan Figee is the chief commercial officer of Zanderbergen World’s Finest Meat, which distributes and produces Beyond Meat in Europe and the Middle East.
Speaking to The National at the Gulfood exhibition in Dubai, he said they hoped "in due time" to sell their products at the same price as real meat protein.
“They are still a bit more expensive. The research and development and the investment which went into it, still contributes to the fact that it’s a more premium product,” he said.
Willem Spigt, the alternative protein product manager for the Dutch company said the cost will come down in the future.
"It also has to do with the scalability. In global terms 1 per cent of total meat sales is plant based, so it's still a very small market," he added.
“You need that scale of market to actually drive down the product’s cost. You probably need it to be 10 to 20 per cent of the meat market to actually come to the same cost.”
It is the same story for the cultivated meat market, which is still a frontier industry.
“We expect we will be able to bring our product in parity with a good steak by 2025,” said Mr Brenner.
But the Israeli food development expert is in no doubt about the imperative for meat substitutes.
“If we're going to have 10 billion people, we’d better have alternative ways to feed them, because conventional sources will just destroy the planet,” he concluded.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
MATCH INFO
Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.
Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
The Programme
Saturday, October 26: ‘The Time That Remains’ (2009) by Elia Suleiman
Saturday, November 2: ‘Beginners’ (2010) by Mike Mills
Saturday, November 16: ‘Finding Vivian Maier’ (2013) by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel
Tuesday, November 26: ‘All the President’s Men’ (1976) by Alan J Pakula
Saturday, December 7: ‘Timbuktu’ (2014) by Abderrahmane Sissako
Saturday, December 21: ‘Rams’ (2015) by Grimur Hakonarson
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Price, base: Dh198,300
Engine: 2.0L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 280hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7L / 100km
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
More from Neighbourhood Watch
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
AIR
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