Stem cells-derived in vitro meat: from petri dish to dinner plate

Sustainable food supply to the world is possibly the greatest challenge that human civilization has ever faced. Among animal sourced foods, meat plays a starring role in human food chain. Traditional meat production necessitates high proportion of agricultural land, energy and clean water for rearing meat-producing animals; also massive emission of greenhouse gases from the unutilized nutrients of the digestive process into the environment is a major challenge to the world. Also, conventional meat production is associated with evolution and spread of superbugs and zoonotic infections. In vitro meat has the potential to provide a healthy alternative nutritious meal and to avoid the issues associated with animal slaughtering and environmental effects. Stem cell technology may provide a fascinating approach to produce meat in an animal-free environment. Theoretically, in vitro meat can supplement the meat produced by culling the animals and satisfy the global demand. This article highlights the necessity and potential of stem cell-derived in vitro meat as an alternative source of animal protein vis-a-vis the constraints of conventional approaches of meat production.