Scientists Invent New Hybrid Food by Growing Beef Inside Grains of Rice

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As the world's population continues to grow, so too does the strain on the environment. Not least among the stressors is food production, especially the vast swathes of land and water required for the cultivation of livestock.

It's still in its infancy, but lab-cultured meat could be one means of easing the pressure – and Korean scientists have just found an innovative way to make it. They've invented a new hybrid food, consisting of cells of bovine fat and muscle grown inside grains of rice.

The result resembles a strange combination of meat mince and rice, of pink, sticky grains. But according to a team led by biomolecular engineer Sohyeon Park of Yonsei University, the mash-up is rich in nutrition, and although a little labor-intensive to produce now, could one day ease food pressure.

"Imagine obtaining all the nutrients we need from cell-cultured protein rice," Park says. "Rice already has a high nutrient level, but adding cells from livestock can further boost it."

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