Engineered Lettuce and Tobacco Plants to Produce Meat Protein

Scientists from Imperial College London and partners have engineered lettuce and tobacco plants to produce myoglobin, a protein found in animal muscle that gives meat its red color and contributes to its flavor. The approach could provide a plant-based alternative to produce an important ingredient for meat alternatives while potentially reducing the land, water, and emissions associated with livestock production.

The research team inserted pig and cattle myoglobin genes into the chloroplast genomes of tobacco and lettuce plants. Because chloroplasts contain many copies of their genome and can produce large amounts of protein, the plants produced substantially more myoglobin than plants engineered through their nuclear genomes. “This could provide a more sustainable way to produce an important ingredient for plant-based meat products,” said Dr. Alexia Groff, Researcher at Imperial College London.

The engineered tobacco and lettuce produced about 800-810 mg of myoglobin per kilogram of dry weight of tobacco and lettuce, respectively. This was at least three times more yield than tobacco plants with the transgene spliced into the nuclear genome. The researchers said the protein could potentially be extracted and purified for use in meat alternatives. Further development and regulatory approval will be needed before commercialization.

For more information, read the news release from Frontiers or the study from Frontiers in Plant Science.