{
  "id": 206320,
  "title": "Powerhouses for fake meat: Muscle protein can now be grown in chloroplasts of lettuce and tobacco plants",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/powerhouses-for-fake-meat-muscle-protein-can-now-be-grown-in",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-06T04:00:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-08-powerhouses-fake-meat-muscle-protein.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "This breakthrough in food technology demonstrates how plants can generate animal protein myoglobin within their chloroplasts. The researchers cloned the genes for pig and cattle myoglobin, then used a \"gene gun\" to introduce these genes into the chloroplasts of tobacco and lettuce seedlings. The chloroplasts, which have a bacterial ancestry and high protein production capacity, successfully integrated the genes and passed them on to subsequent generations. The plants were then grown to maturity, flowering and producing seeds that inherited the transgene. In comparison to nuclear genome integration, chloroplast expression yielded significantly higher amounts of myoglobin - approximately 800-810 mg per kilogram dry weight, which is at least three times higher than when the transgene is inserted into the nuclear genome.",
  "summary": "Livestock farming requires valuable land to grow fodder, uses vast amounts of freshwater and contributes to global warming through methane and nitrous oxide emissions. And, for many consumers it is important to prevent animal suffering. For these reasons, the global market for meat alternatives is currently worth €6.7 billion to €8.1 billion per year and is projected to grow 8.1% to 12.3% each…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "ScienceAlert",
        "title": "A Key Meat Protein Has Been Grown in Lettuce For The First Time",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/a-key-meat-protein-has-been-grown-in-lettuce-for-the-first-time",
        "published": "2026-08-06T04:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}