Israeli Company Uses Tobacco to Produce Plant-Based Burgers

Sep.13.2022

Israeli startup company BioBetter is using tobacco plants to produce growth factors for cell-cultured meat, potentially lowering costs and increasing sustainability.

Photo Credit: Victor Moussa.

According to a report from The Jerusalem Post, an Israeli food technology startup company called BioBetter is using tobacco plants to help produce their vegetarian burgers.

The company is using tobacco plants as natural bioreactors to produce growth factors necessary for the development of cultivated meat cells.

According to the company, this development could significantly reduce the cost of farming meat and help rapidly advance its commercialization. Farming meat may eventually replace cattle, which are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and facilitate the dangers of global warming.

Amit Yaari, CEO of BioBetter, has stated that in the coming decades, the world's growing population and decreasing natural resources will put incredible pressure on meat supply and our already fragile environment. He believes that lab-grown meat offers a promising solution to these problems, ensuring a more resilient supply chain and providing better economic and environmental returns.

In addition to addressing environmental challenges, this effort will also create new sources of income for local tobacco farmers who have suffered losses due to declining cigarette consumption.

BioBetter plans to expand its production scale in 2023 and commercialize its tobacco plant-derived food-grade growth factor combination by 2024, driven by a new round of venture capital investment.

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#Asia #Open system e-cigarettes #China #Israel #Regulation

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