韩国科学家研发出粉色“牛肉大米”

韩国科学家近日研发出一种新型粉色大米，这种大米是用牛肉细胞附着在米粒上培养而成的，虽然没有牛肉味，但是蛋白质和脂肪含量更高，而且拥有牛肉特有的嚼劲和鲜味。

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.

韩国延世大学的科学家研发出了一种新型杂交大米，这种大米呈现出肉粉色，而且还富含牛肉蛋白质和脂肪细胞。

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营养的食物之一，但是在科学“魔法”的作用下，大米很快将成为可行且可持续的肉食替代品。位于韩国首尔的延世大学的一个研究团队成功研发出了一种含有牛肉蛋白质和脂肪细胞的杂交大米。这种新型粉色大米的蛋白质和脂肪含量分别比普通大米高出8%和7%。尽管没有牛肉味，但这种大米带有“独特的香味，还带有一点肉特有的嚼劲和鲜味”。由于融入了动物细胞，这种新型粉色大米有朝一日将能凭一己之力就成为完整的一餐，为全世界提供充足且可持续的食物来源。

"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.”

该研究报告的合著者朴尚贤表示：“想象一下，从细胞培养蛋白质大米中获取我们需要的所有营养物质。大米本就很有营养，但是加入家畜的细胞将能进一步提升其营养价值。”该研究发表在科学期刊《物质》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.

那么他们是怎么想到将大米和牛肉结合在一起的呢？延世大学的研究人员知道，实验室培养的细胞需要人工基质才能生成组织，于是他们决定用大米，因为大米的多孔结构使其成为理想的培养基质。为了帮助牛肉细胞附着到米粒上，米粒上涂满了鱼明胶并放在培养皿中培养了长达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.

这种杂交大米的米粒比天然米粒质地更硬更脆，在烹煮时会保留传统的外观。尽管这种大米没有牛肉味，但是拥有“令人愉悦的新口感”，适合搭配多种菜肴食用。

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.

在初期实验中，科学家采用了当地屠宰场宰杀的韩牛肉的细胞，但是在未来，他们计划用实验室培育出的可持续供应的牛肉细胞。科学家还将探索将大米和其他肉类或鱼杂交的可能性，从而满足不同的口味。

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，这种杂交大米的蛋白质含量还相对较低。为了能替代肉食，研究人员将需要大幅提升这种大米的蛋白质含量。