What you need to know about Africa’s first lab-grown beef burger; cultivated in Mzansi

MZANSI Meat Company, a South African cultivated meat start-up, has recently become a pioneer with an edible, lab-grown beef burger, Africa’s first ever. l TOBY MELVILLE Reuters

MZANSI Meat Company, a South African cultivated meat start-up, has recently become a pioneer with an edible, lab-grown beef burger, Africa’s first ever. l TOBY MELVILLE Reuters

Published Apr 29, 2022

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CAPE TOWN – According to local media, the meat company has been harnessing cellular agriculture technology in order to make meat from the cells of animals without actually harming the animal.

The cultivated meat market has significant potential when it comes to removing animals from the food system, says news website Plant Based Food.org.

According to McKinsey, a management consulting firm, by 2030, the sector could make up “billions of pounds of the world’s meat supply”.

Here are five things you need to know about this extraordinary advancement for the African continent.

The process begins at its organic local farm animal sanctuary where veterinarians remove tiny tissue cells from donor animals, who roam free, with as little harm as possible, the company states, citing a report by food website Food Business Africa

Once the cells are harvested, a sample is placed in a nutrient-rich transport medium and taken to the Mzansi Meat labs where the cells are isolated and grown in a culture medium.

Once the cells are isolated and grown in a culture medium, they are placed on an edible structure and combined with spices and flavouring to produce the end product.

They say their vision is to produce meat that will be used in traditional African and South African cuisine.

The brand has plans to introduce minced beef burgers, sausages, nuggets, steaks, and even chicken into the SA market over the next few years.

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