Japanese Scientist Creates Meat Substitute From Sewage

An anonymous reader writes "Hold on to your hamburgers — Japanese scientist Mitsyuki Ikeda at the Environmental Assessment Center in Okayama has invented an artificial meat substitute made from human feces. The unseemly meal is made by extracting protein and lipids from 'sewage mud.' The lipids are then combined with a reaction enhancer and whipped into 'meat' in an exploder. Ikeda makes the 'meat' more palatable by adding things like soy protein."

someone will eat it

[v1]

We're always seeing people eating strange things, whether it be fish that may or may not be lethal, to tasties like cow brains and pig testicles, this will be no different. There will be some that will eat it. If nothing else, ship it to people that would much prefer turdburgers to starvation. But the start will probably just be people eating it for the shock/novelty value.

The scientist says his goal is to make it the same price as regular meat... I think they're going to have to go a little better than that, make it cheaper. If you can drop the cost per calorie/nutrient down to at least that of say, grain, it'd be an ideal foodsource for places that need food relief. Right now they don't see meat because of cost - grain is still their cheapest alternative. This would be a lot higher in protein, so if they could at least match the cost, that'd be a hit.

Another option

[dawning]

Another solution to the global food crisis is to stop having massive freakin steaming piles of babies. (*Gives various religious doctrines a condemning glare*).. Further developing the pwned world would probably go a long way too.. If everyone can afford an xbox, they'll be too busy getting killed playing Halo to go reproduce. AHh, forget it, let's just chow down on some shit-jerky and "go to town"..

Choices, choices

[Iron Chef Unix]

From the video: "Once the research is complete and it's put on the market we'll probably be able to price it at roughly the same level as normal meat." Hmm, should I buy the ribeye or the extruded soy-supplemented feces meat? At the same price, the choice is so difficult....

This is a huge deal for space travel

[Tropico]

Recycling nutrients for space travel is essential. Astronauts already drink water that is extracting from human urine. Extracting proteins and lipids from human waste could be just as important.

So who did they pressure into testing it?

[bmo]

This reminds me so much of elementary school recess.

"I'll give you my snack if you eat a bug, Timmy"
"No, I don't want to"
"What are you a wuss? It's just a bug"
(kids start chanting)
"Eat a bug!"
"Eat a bug!"
"EAT A BUG!"

Timmy eats the bug.

Timmy is still known as "that kid that ate the bug" at the 50'th anniversary high school reunion.

--
BMO

Re:um...

[couchslug]

"Disgusting. I'd rather eat soylent green."

With this technology you can eat soylent green. Again, and again, and again.

Re:Another option

[Volante3192]

Another solution to the global food crisis is to stop having massive freakin steaming piles of babies.

Or, just a modest proposal here, have more babies.

Re:um...

[syousef]

It's not all that much more disgusting than fast food as is.

Okay either your fast food is a lot worse than what it is like here, or you have no sense of taste or smell. The fast food might not be good for you, but it shouldn't be so bad as to make you ill the way poo does, and it is designed to be appetizing despite being bad for you.