"Artificial egg" after the listing, Li Ka-shing to betting "artificial meat"-artificial meat, Li Ka-Shing-IT news "Artificial egg" after the listing, Li Ka-shing to betting "artificial meat"

Artificial foods entrepreneurial companies are attracting more and more investors, interested in new technology of Hong Kong's richest man Li Ka-Shing recently and the next note.

On June 18, the harbour investments, owned by Li Ka-shing, announced investment in United States New York technology company ModernMeadow, has completed a $ 10 million series a financing for the company, and used to develop cultivated cells, and the manufacture of leather technology.

Regal even bet, "artificial meat" technology company

According to the Ming Pao Daily News of Hong Kong reported that ModernMeadow was founded in 2001 by Forgacs and his son and a group of scientists. According to the company website, its use of new technologies to develop biological materials, to reduce the impact of livestock's contribution to global environment.

This round of funding, investment as a leader for the Harbour, ModernMeadow shareholders include Sequoia Capital, United States PayPal (PayPal) co-founder Peter Thiel, and so on.

ModernMeadow spokesman said, at this stage the main focus on senior skins, but has begun to "cultured" leather of other animals, such as lambskin and crocodile skin, the next step to be pushed more low-end products, artificial leather products to Hong Kong and Asian markets.

Li Ka-shing, the move is not a whim. In February, Yahoo founder Jerry Yang and Li Ka-Shing through the venture capital fund, Hampton Creek Foods to the food business company for $ 23 million. Vegetal raw materials used in the production of the company had very similar taste and eggs products, which is what we call "artificial." Hampton also drawn investments of Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

Li Ka-shing's "artificial eggs" has supermarkets in Hong Kong, according to plan, "artificial eggs" will shortly be entering the mainland market.

In fact, over a period of time, there have been a number of investors big bets on technology companies, the most eye-catching is the investment research, artificial food, especially the "artificial meat" company.

So-called artificial food, refers to the use of advanced technology in the production of meat, eggs and other food substitutes.

It was reported that ModernMeadow cattle of stem cells using 3D printing technology used in the production of "artificial meat", but ModernMeadow "artificial meat" is expected to take 10 years to market.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin (Sergey Brin) also has creators support "artificial meat" research, he is using stem cells to grow beef cattle "artificial meat" of the Netherlands provides financial support for research at the University of Maastricht.

Post at the University of Maastricht (Mark Post) Professor in 2012 for the first time succeeded in making a "synthetic meat".

It is interesting, first proposed the idea through in vitro meat is United Kingdom former Prime Minister Winston Churchill, in 1932 he put forward the idea.

"Artificial meat" market should be premised on safety

In the Western world, artificial food market is growing. The background is, conservationists's criticism of poultry industry has been heating up at the same time, pointed out in a survey, 18% of carbon dioxide emissions come from livestock, there is growing concern about providing artificial substitute of protein without killing animals food.

Xu Xinglian Vice President of Nanjing Agricultural University, College of food science and technology introduction, "artificial meat" study abroad relatively more, whose background is mainly in the rise of animal husbandry production impact on the environment, resources, researchers have tried to "artificial meat" to reduce damage to the natural environment.

Institute of food science and nutritional engineering, China Agricultural University, professor Luo Yongkang told the Post reporter, currently the consumer exposure to artificial food plants as raw material, meat spices or certain kinds of meat, after texturizing, artificial foods, such as artificial crab meat, vegetarian and meat texture.

He pointed out that such products as long as safe raw materials, process scientific and reasonable, manufactured products are safe. However, in terms of animal meat made in stem cell "meat", the existing few.

There is no doubt that the "artificial meat" to enter the market, security issues must be resolved first.

National Engineering Research Center for tissue engineering Professor Zhou Guangdong had told the media that, post up "artificial meat" is through in vitro cultivated cells, differentiation and reproduction, so it is similar to the natural beef. Also, because during the process of cultivating ensures absolutely clean, which can completely eradicate mad cow disease and foot and mouth disease virus infection.

Security is the biggest problem, of course, the cost and the question of whether consumers will accept.

August 2013, the London one of the world's first "artificial meat" Burger taste test Assembly. At that time, including research funding, a hamburger cost up to 35 million yen (about us $ 343,600).

In the next year, through the improvement of cultivation of cells and culture media, post says, "according to estimates, 1 hamburger costs have dropped to 1400 yen (about US $ 13.74). "He said, coming to make" synthetic meat "Burger prices can be lower than the original.