This is the search giant's latest foray into

From driverless cars to wearable technology, Google seems to have its fingers in many pies - but it almost got involved in a burger business, according to new reports.

The search giant tried to buy a start-up developing a cheeseburger made entirely from plants for around $300 million, in its latest bid to build a meat-free world.

But Google had its deal rejected because Impossible foods, the company behind the burger, wanted more cash, according to The Information.

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Yummy? Their flagship project, the Impossible burger (pictured), is said to be so similar to meat that it even bleeds, just like a meat patty cooked medium-rare. The company is also working on dairy-free cheeses

It is not known when Google tried to buy the company exactly, but reports have described the failed negotiations as 'recent'.

Impossible foods focuses on developing meat and cheese alternatives made entirely from plants, and hope to unveil its Impossible Burger later this year.

Their flagship project is said to be so similar to meat that it even bleeds, just like a meat patty cooked medium-rare.

This is not the first time Google has dabbled with meat alternatives - in 2013 Sergey Brin, one of the company's co-founders, was revealed to be an investor in an artificial meat burger that many dubbed the 'frankenburger'

But it looks like the attempted acquisition of Impossible Foods is part of Google's desire to develop technologies that help humanity as a whole.

It comes after an announcement yesterday that a Google-backed company had gained access to genetic data held by Ancestry.com in an attempt to extend human life.

Many of these projects are the result of Google's secretive Google X lab, which works on major technological advances, overseen by Sergey Brin.

'I like to look at technology opportunities where the technology looks like it's on the cusp of viability, and if it succeeds there, it can be really transformative for the world,' Sergey Brin said in way of explanation for his forays into the artificial meat business.

GOOGLE'S 'FRANKENBURGER' Sergey Brin invested heavily in a technique for growing a beef burger from stem cells in 2013 dubbed the 'frankenburger'. Its creator, Dutch scientist Mark Post, claimed it could revolutionise the food industry and help save the planet. His burgers are created in a four-step process. First, stem cells — which have the power to turn into any other cell — are stripped from cow muscle, which is taken during a harmless biopsy. Next, the cells are incubated in a nutrient ‘broth’ until they multiply many times over, creating a sticky tissue. This is then bulked up through the laboratory equivalent of exercise — it is anchored to Velcro and stretched. Finally, 20,000 strips of the meat are minced and mixed with salt, breadcrumbs, egg powder and natural red colourants to form an edible patty. Advertisement

Impossible Foods, with their cheeseburger made entirely from plants, comes under this category.

'Our mission is to give people the great taste and nutritional benefits of foods that come from animals without the negative health and environmental impact,' said the company.

'We looked at animal products at the molecular level, then selected specific proteins and nutrients from greens, seeds, and grains to recreate the wonderfully complex experience of meats and dairy products.'

And apparently it tastes authentic too - The Wall Street Journal reported that it tastes 'somewhere between beef and turkey.'

Sergey Brin invested heavily in a technique for growing a beef burger from stem cells in 2013 dubbed the 'frankenburger'.

Its creator, Dutch scientist Mark Post, claimed it could revolutionise the food industry and help save the planet.

His burgers are created in a four-step process. First, stem cells — which have the power to turn into any other cell — are stripped from cow muscle, which is taken during a harmless biopsy.

The world's first test-tube burger made from lab-grown meat (pictured) was cooked and eaten in London in August 2013. The patty was developed by Professor Mark Post (pictured) of Maastricht University in the Netherlands and cost £250,000 to produce

Next, the cells are incubated in a nutrient ‘broth’ until they multiply many times over, creating a sticky tissue. This is then bulked up through the laboratory equivalent of exercise — it is anchored to Velcro and stretched.

Finally, 20,000 strips of the meat are minced and mixed with salt, breadcrumbs, egg powder and natural red colourants to form an edible patty.

Food writer Josh Schonwald said of the patty: ‘The absence is the fat. But the bite feels like a conventional hamburger. What was conspicuously different was flavour.’

Sergey Brin summed up his interest in meat alternatives by saying: 'There are basically three things that can happen going forward - one is that we can all become vegetarian. I don't think that's really likely.

'The second is we ignore the issues and that leads to continued environmental harm and the third option is we do something new.