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An artificial beef burger which took two months to grow in a lab was put to a taste test yesterday – but it wasn’t an experience for gourmets to relish.

While foodies grumbled that the £250,000 ­“Frankenburger” was not juicy enough, ­scientists insisted the cultured meat grown from cow stems cells could be on supermarket shelves a decade from now.

Cornwall chef Richard McGeown fried the 5oz burger in sunflower oil and butter in front of an audience in London.

It was then sampled by US author Josh Schonwald and Austrian food scientist Hanni Rutzler.

Hanni said it was “close to meat” but it “lacked juiciness” and she expected a softer texture.

Josh also noted its dryness and added: “The absence is the fat, it has a leanness but the bite feels like a conventional hamburger.”

After it was served beside a bun, lettuce and tomato slices, he added: “This is a kind of ­unnatural experience in that I can’t tell you over the past 20 years how many times I have had a burger without ketchup, onions, ­jalapenos or bacon.”

The burger, made from 20,000 tiny strips of meat, was created in a lab at Maastricht ­University in the Netherlands.

Its also contained salt, egg powder, breadcrumbs, red beetroot juice and saffron.

Scientist-turned-chef Professor Mark Post admitted that more work was needed before his creation could compete with the real thing for flavour.

Sampling it himself for the first time, he said: “I think it’s a very good start, it proved that we can do this, that we can make it and to provide a start to build upon – I am very pleased with it.

“There is no fat in there yet. We’re working on that – it will take a couple of months. We all know some of the flavour comes from the fat and the juices come from the fat, but I think this is a good start.”

He believes artificial meat will herald a food revolution and it could be available in ­supermarkets in 10 to 20 years’ time.

The research team claims cells taken from onecow could produce 175 million burgers while modern farming would need 440,000 cows. Demand for meat is due to increase by two-thirds in the next 40 years and current production methods are said to be unsustainable.

Livestock used to make normal burgers also contributes to global warming through flatulent cattle emitting the greenhouse gas methane.

Josh, author of The Taste of Tomorrow, said: “We are reaching a point of peak meat. The Earth cannot sustain its appetite.”

And Mark added: “We are basically catering towards letting beef eaters eat beef in an ­environmentally ethical way.”

The project is the result of years of research which saw the scientists graduating from mouse meat, to pork and then beef. It was bankrolled by Google co-founder Sergey Brin, whose involvement was kept a secret until yesterday.

The billionaire said: “Sometimes a new technology comes along and it has the ­capability to transform how we view our world.”

Sergey said he got involved due to animal welfare reasons and his disgust with modern farming methods. He added: “When you see how these cows are treated, it’s not something I’m ­comfortable with.”

Q Is artificial beef OK for vegetarians to eat?

A It depends on what their objection to eating flesh is. If they are veggie because they don’t want animals slaughtered then yes. The cells it is grown from are taken from live animals.

Q Isn’t cultured beef just the same as GM foods?

A No, it is biologically the same as regular beef. No genetic modification takes place.

Q It sounds interesting, but is it safe to eat?

A Scientists say yes but proper tests into the impact will take years. Prof Mark Post, the man behind the burger, says he would feed it to his children.

Q Can the method be used for meat other than beef?

A Yes. As part of their experiments scientists replicated mouse meat and pork, but artificial beef is prized because of the increasingly scarce resources required to farm the real stuff.

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Is phoney flesh a good idea?

YES, says Ben Williamson, of campaigners PETA

We have stifled our revulsion at flesh-eating to champion a breakthrough that could mean a far kinder world for animals.

Lab-grown meat will provide people addicted from childhood to the saturated fat in flesh with their “methadone” – and spell the end of lorries full of cows and chickens, ­abattoirs and factory farming.

It will also reduce carbon emissions, conserve water and make the food supply safer.

Since meat eaters routinely consume flesh contaminated with faeces, drugs and bacteria, once they get used to the idea they should be happy to eat meat from a lab.

NO, says Sybil Kapoor, chef and food writer

It will be decades before lab-grown meat becomes commercially viable.

It would also taste quite bland and need the help of some form of fat, flavourings and MSG to make it appetising. And the further you go from a natural diet, the more potential health risks you run.

Then there is the environment. Farming shapes our landscape and if the land is no longer viable for agriculture, would we then lose it to urban development?

Better to change how we eat so everyone has more pulses and veg and less meat. Hard, I know, but much better for us.