WHAT'S NEW AT THE MEAT MARKET?

Get you mind out of the gutter. I’m talking about the sale of edible meat products.

 Consumers have seen a variety of new meat alternatives during the last fifty years. Many of these products are produced from soy and pea proteins. Now biotechnology companies are producing cultured meat—also called clean or cell-based meat. Cultured meat is grown in large, closed, sterile vats in the laboratory. It really is meat because it is grown from the cells of healthy cattle or chickens layered on biological scaffolds so as to produce a meat-like texture.

 This breakthrough in the application of biotechnology was first announced in 2013 but continues to be mainly experimental because of problems in the production of a juicy meat alternative with an acceptable mouth feel at a reasonable price. However, environmentalists are enthused about cultured meats’ potential.

 Are you enthusiastic or repulsed by the idea of cultured meat? Hopefully, you are curious to learn more. Maybe you’re curious: How does this technology fit into a blog on books and writing.



In the mystery novel, Games for Couples, a biotechnology company is desperately racing to develop cultured meat products before their competitors. Disaster strikes. A subject in a clinical trial testing one of their new cultured meat product dies. Sara Almquist, a scientist herself, works with public safety officials to identify the lethal compound in the cultured meat. Then they have to determine whether the compound was there because of sabotage by a competitor or due to sloppy mistakes by the biotechnology company.

 This mystery give you a view of the ruthless—at times cut-throat—competition among startup companies as they attempt to turn cutting-edge science into commercially valuable products. The situation is realistic because the development of cultured meat products is one of the hottest areas in biotechnology now. Interestingly, these companies have generally not chosen to petition for patents but have kept many of their discoveries as trade secrets. That makes the field ripe for industrial espionage.

 For those of you concerned about food safety, you’ll also learn about the competition between FDA and USDA (U. S. Department of Agriculture) to monitor the development and sale of cultured meat. Although cultured meat is now available in Singapore, it has not cleared safety standards in the U.S. yet.

 Don’t worry—science does not overpower the plot in Games for Couples. The answers to questions of how, who, and why are still related to basic human motives. But the science does add a lot of juiciness

 Book at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735421405/

 


Bio: J. L. Greger as a scientist at  the University of Wisconsin-Madison served on numerous government panels examining nutritional requirements and the safety of foods. The pet therapy dog Bug in her novels is exactly like her own stoical Japanese Chin (shown in the photo). https://www.jlgreger.com

And Marilyn says:

 "This is a fascinating book, give it a try."

 

Comments

J. L. Greger said…
Marilyn, thanks for hosting me.
J. L. Greger said…
Please note the equipment shown on the cover of GAMES FOR COUPLES are the bioreactors in which cells grow and turn into cultured meat.

Popular posts from this blog

Need to Catch Up With My Blog Tour?

Meet Morgen Bailey from the UK

The Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries By Heather Haven