New effort to develop meatless meat

Abstract

A new lab at the University of California, Berkeley, aims to develop plant-based meat alternatives appealing enough to make meat lovers abandon their favorite steak. The university says it will make its innovations available for free to encourage more entrepreneurs to enter the market. The lab will be part of Berkeley’s Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology. Ikhlaq Sidhu, the center’s founder, says meat alternatives are a big opportunity for start-ups. Animal-free meat is also attracting investors. Last week, Bay-area-based Memphis Meats raised $17 million from investors including Cargill and Bill Gates. The company makes a variety of meats from animal cells raised in a bioreactor. Berkeley jumped on the plant-based meat trend earlier this year, when it launched what it calls the world’s first course focused on the topic. Now 40 students will have the opportunity to solve both technical and business dilemmas facing the nascent industry. The team