韓國(guó)科學(xué)家近日研發(fā)出一種新型粉色大米，這種大米是用牛肉細(xì)胞附著在米粒上培養(yǎng)而成的，雖然沒(méi)有牛肉味，但是蛋白質(zhì)和脂肪含量更高，而且擁有牛肉特有的嚼勁和鮮味。

Scientists at South Korea’s Yonsei University have created a new type of hybrid rice that not only has a meaty pink color but is also packed with beef protein and fat cells.

韓國(guó)延世大學(xué)的科學(xué)家研發(fā)出了一種新型雜交大米，這種大米呈現(xiàn)出肉粉色，而且還富含牛肉蛋白質(zhì)和脂肪細(xì)胞。

Rice is already one of the most nutritious foods available in nature, but thanks to some scientific ‘magic’, it could soon become a viable, sustainable alternative to meat. A team of researchers at the Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, managed to create a rice hybrid laced with beef protein and fat cells. The new pink rice has 8 percent more protein and 7 percent more fat than regular rice, and while it doesn’t yet taste like beef, it does carry a “unique blend of aromas, including a slight nuttiness and umami which are characteristic of meat”. Thanks to the integrated animal cells, this new pink rice could one day become a complete meal by itself, ensuring a sufficient, sustainable food supply for the whole world.

大米原本就是大自然中最有營(yíng)養(yǎng)的食物之一，但是在科學(xué)“魔法”的作用下，大米很快將成為可行且可持續(xù)的肉食替代品。位于韓國(guó)首爾的延世大學(xué)的一個(gè)研究團(tuán)隊(duì)成功研發(fā)出了一種含有牛肉蛋白質(zhì)和脂肪細(xì)胞的雜交大米。這種新型粉色大米的蛋白質(zhì)和脂肪含量分別比普通大米高出8%和7%。盡管沒(méi)有牛肉味，但這種大米帶有“獨(dú)特的香味，還帶有一點(diǎn)肉特有的嚼勁和鮮味”。由于融入了動(dòng)物細(xì)胞，這種新型粉色大米有朝一日將能憑一己之力就成為完整的一餐，為全世界提供充足且可持續(xù)的食物來(lái)源。

"Imagine obtaining all the nutrients we need from cell-cultured protein rice,” said Park So-hyeon, co-author of the study published in the Matter scientific journal. “Rice already has a high nutrient level, but adding cells from livestock can further boost it.”

該研究報(bào)告的合著者樸尚賢表示：“想象一下，從細(xì)胞培養(yǎng)蛋白質(zhì)大米中獲取我們需要的所有營(yíng)養(yǎng)物質(zhì)。大米本就很有營(yíng)養(yǎng)，但是加入家畜的細(xì)胞將能進(jìn)一步提升其營(yíng)養(yǎng)價(jià)值。”該研究發(fā)表在科學(xué)期刊《物質(zhì)》上。

So how does one go about infusing rice with beef? Well, knowing that lab-grown cells need artificial scaffolds to create tissue, researchers at Yonsei University decided that the porous nature of rice would make ideal scaffolding. To help the beef cells latch onto the rice grains, the latter were coated in fish gelatin and left to culture in a petri dish for up to 11 days.

那么他們是怎么想到將大米和牛肉結(jié)合在一起的呢？延世大學(xué)的研究人員知道，實(shí)驗(yàn)室培養(yǎng)的細(xì)胞需要人工基質(zhì)才能生成組織，于是他們決定用大米，因?yàn)榇竺椎亩嗫捉Y(jié)構(gòu)使其成為理想的培養(yǎng)基質(zhì)。為了幫助牛肉細(xì)胞附著到米粒上，米粒上涂滿了魚(yú)明膠并放在培養(yǎng)皿中培養(yǎng)了長(zhǎng)達(dá)11天。

The hybrid grains are more firm and brittle than natural grains, and when cooked they retain their traditional appearance. While the rice doesn’t really taste like beef yet, it “offers a pleasant and novel flavor experience,” and pairs well with a variety of dishes.

這種雜交大米的米粒比天然米粒質(zhì)地更硬更脆，在烹煮時(shí)會(huì)保留傳統(tǒng)的外觀。盡管這種大米沒(méi)有牛肉味，但是擁有“令人愉悅的新口感”，適合搭配多種菜肴食用。

For their first experiments, scientists used cells from hanwoo cattle slaughtered at the local abattoir, but in the future, they plan to use sustainable supplies of cells that can be maintained in the lab. They are also exploring the possibility of lacing the rice with other types of meat or fish, in order to cater to different tastes.

在初期實(shí)驗(yàn)中，科學(xué)家采用了當(dāng)?shù)赝涝讏?chǎng)宰殺的韓牛肉的細(xì)胞，但是在未來(lái)，他們計(jì)劃用實(shí)驗(yàn)室培育出的可持續(xù)供應(yīng)的牛肉細(xì)胞。科學(xué)家還將探索將大米和其他肉類或魚(yú)雜交的可能性，從而滿足不同的口味。

For now, the percentage of protein in the hybrid rice is still relatively low. To actually replace meat, researchers would need to increase protein content significantly.

目前，這種雜交大米的蛋白質(zhì)含量還相對(duì)較低。為了能替代肉食，研究人員將需要大幅提升這種大米的蛋白質(zhì)含量。

英文來(lái)源：Oddity Central

翻譯&編輯：丹妮

審稿：齊磊、董靜