Scientists engineer lettuce to produce meat-like myoglobin protein

Scientists at Imperial College London have successfully engineered lettuce and tobacco plants to produce myoglobin, the protein responsible for the color and flavor of meat. The study, published in ‘Frontiers in Plant Science’, utilized a ‘gene gun’ to insert pig DNA into the chloroplasts of the plants.

Researchers found that chloroplasts are more efficient than the plant nucleus for large-scale protein production due to their bacterial ancestry and multiple DNA copies. While the method proved successful and the trait was heritable, researchers noted a technical challenge: only 35% of the plant-produced myoglobin contained heme, compared to 80% in bacterial sources.

This biotechnological advancement aims to create a more sustainable protein source that could eventually rival animal agriculture in yield per hectare while requiring significantly less water and land.