Meat grown from muscle stem cells cultured at Nanjing university

(ECNS) - A research team led by Professor Zhou Guanghong at the Nanjing Agricultural University has produced China's first cultured meat, grown from muscle stem cells. 

The stem cells taken from a pig were cultivated for 20 days and multiplied to become a five-gram piece of meat. 

Growing muscle tissue in culture from animal stem cells to produce meat could theoretically eliminate the need to slaughter animals.

Zhou said the cultured meat is similar to real pork in terms of physical properties, such as color and texture. However, commercial production of cultured meat products requires many reviews and checks by regulators. 

The success of the experiment, which took place at the university's National Center of Meat Quality and Safety Control, has set a milestone in the domestic artificial-meat field with a number of breakthroughs achieved, experts say. 

Zhou's team has been engaged in cultured meat research since 2009.