Research has shown that lab-grown meat can be Halal.

Discussions about lab-grown meat – which is being consumed in some foreign countries – have been ongoing for some time. And for those working in the Halal sector, the question inevitably arises: is it, or can it be, Halal?

Bárbara Cristina Domingos, Senior Quality Analyst at FAMBRAS Halal, sought to answer this and other questions related to the topic – such as advantages and disadvantages – in the work presented during the first edition of CTec Halal. It's worth checking out.

Barbara, what led you to choose this topic for your work? What was your intention with it?

Lab-grown meat production is an innovation that has already begun to be consumed in foreign countries. Its promise is the production of meat and meat products without slaughtering the animal, using only its cells, bringing numerous benefits to the environment.

My intention in addressing this topic was to explain how this process occurs, to show the advantages associated with the production of cultivated meat, the challenges faced, and to relate it to Halal.

Your work was a technical study on cultured meats. Can you tell us how this process unfolded?

My work was based on a bibliographic reference; therefore, several scientific articles and reports in internationally known journals on current studies of cultivated meat were consulted.

Based on your work, what are the advantages of cultured meat?

One of the main advantages of cultured meat is its lower environmental impact, as it reduces energy and water consumption, land use, and emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitric oxide.

Another important advantage, used as an appeal in the production of cultivated meat, is related to animal welfare, since none of the animals are slaughtered to produce the meat and its by-products.

Another benefit is that it is produced in controlled, safe and healthy environments, with high hygiene standards, preventing the spread of zoonotic diseases.

And the disadvantages?

One of the challenges encountered in the production of cultivated meat is consumer acceptance of this product, since the texture, color, and flavor present some differences compared to fresh meat.

We can also cite the difficulty of industrial-scale production as one of the biggest disadvantages of this product. It is estimated that approximately eight trillion muscle cells are needed to produce one kilogram of protein.

To reduce the large number of cells required for the process, it is necessary to create new culture medium formulations and new bioreactors – which would be able to increase production efficiency by decreasing energy consumption and production costs, while maintaining consumer safety.

What should farmed meat be like to be considered Halal?

For cultivated meat to be considered Halal, it is essential that the animal be Halal, that is, permitted for consumption by Muslims. For example, cultivated beef can be considered Halal. However, cultivated pork is Haram, since the pig itself is an animal forbidden for consumption by Muslims.

Furthermore, all elements used in the production of this meat must be from Halal sources. For example, the ingredients used in the culture media to grow the cells extracted from the animals must all be Halal. Therefore, we cannot have blood, a prohibited element, as part of the composition of this culture medium.

How are cells extracted from a Halal animal to create this culture?

There are some disagreements. Many scholars say that cells cannot be collected from a live animal through biopsy, as this would disqualify the product as Halal. Currently, studies are underway to extract cells from the feathers or wool of an animal, enabling the certification of farmed meat as Halal.

It's a topic that's still under debate, but there is, indeed, the possibility of Halal certification, provided that all these items are met in principle.

What is your assessment of CTec Halal?

The CTec Halal course was a great opportunity to learn about various topics related to Halal and to present my work, bringing it to the attention of all participants. It's an experience that adds a lot professionally, broadening perspectives in various sectors within Halal.