Rice is a staple food for more than half the world’s population and a key ingredient in beloved dishes such as jambalaya. In fact, the average American eats an estimated 27 pounds of rice every year.
This week, rice got more interesting. Scientists from Yonsei University in South Korea have developed a method to grow animal muscle and fat cells inside grains of rice, creating a more protein-rich food.
Research on the results was published Wednesday in the Matter journal.
According a press release, the method “results in a nutritious and flavorful hybrid food that, once commercialized, could offer a more affordable protein alternative with a smaller carbon footprint.”
In the publication, researchers explained that rice is around 80% starch and 20% protein. They applied an “edible coating on the rice grains to modify their physicochemical factors associated with cell uptake to create granular structures capable of holding many cells,” that was made of fish gelatin and microbial transglutaminase, a common food additive. Bovine material was then integrated into the rice.
Per the press release, this method allowed researchers to mimic the cellular environment of animals using rice, which is porous and has an organized structure. These qualities provided a “solid scaffold to house animal-derived cells in the nooks and crannies,” it explained.
After nine to 11 days the final product was harvested.
“We combined bovine myotube-organized rice grain and adipocyte-organized rice grain in equal proportions and dubbed the resulting mixture ‘hybrid rice,’” said the study. “Then, we determined the effect of cell organization on nutritional value by analyzing the nutritional components of bare rice and hybrid rice.”
Researchers found that the hybrid rice had a crude protein content 310 mg higher than in bare rice., or 8% more protein and 7% more fat than typical rice. Study authors described the final product as a cell-cultured beef rice that meets food safety requirements and has low risk of triggering food allergies.
“Rice already has a high nutrient level, but adding cells from livestock can further boost it,” said first author Sohyeon Park, who conducted the study under the guidance of corresponding author Jinkee Hong.
So, what is it like to eat this meat-rice hybrid?
“Compared to the typical sticky and soft texture, the hybrid rice was firmer and brittler,” said the press release. “Hybrid rice with higher muscle content had beef- and almond-related odor compounds, while those with higher fat content had compounds corresponding to cream, butter, and coconut oil.”
Park and the team of researchers who developed the hybrid rice said it could provide a source of protein that reduces the need for livestock processes that consumes resources and contributes to greenhouse gasses. Per the press release, it is cheaper to produce than traditional livestock protein and has a smaller carbon footprint.
“For every 100 g of protein produced, hybrid rice is estimated to release less than 6.27 kg of CO2, while beef releases 49.89 kg,” it said. “If commercialized, the hybrid rice could cost around $2.23 per kilogram, while beef costs $14.88.”
Park said he can see many possible applications for this product in the future, including fighting famine, supplying military rations and even possibly sending the rice to space.