Scientists make tobacco and lettuce produce myoglobin for meat flavor
Technology
Scientists have figured out how to get tobacco and lettuce plants to produce myoglobin, the protein that gives meat its signature flavor and color.
This breakthrough could help create plant-based foods that taste even more like real meat, offering a greener alternative to traditional livestock farming.
Gene gun inserts myoglobin into chloroplasts
The team used a "gene gun" to add myoglobin genes from pigs and cows into the plants' chloroplasts.
These modified plants not only made lots of myoglobin, up to 810 milligrams per kilogram, but also passed the trait on to their next generation.
If approved, crops like lettuce could become supercharged ingredients for tastier, more nutritious plant-based meats, all while using fewer resources than raising animals.