Cellular meat and advancements in vegan processed foods

Cellular meat and advancements in vegan processed foods

Advances in farming technology and intensification of animal agriculture increase the cost-efficiency and production volume of meat. Thus, in developed nations, meat is relatively inexpensive and accessible. While beneficial for consumer satisfaction, intensive meat production inflicts negative externalities on public health, the environment and animal welfare. In response, groups within academia and industry are working to improve the sensory characteristics of plant-based meat and pursuing nascent approaches through cellular agriculture methodology (i.e., cell-based meat). 

CBM (cell-based meat), also referred to as in-vitro meat, lab-grown meat or cultured meat is meat produced by cultivating cells as opposed to farming animals. CBM technology is based on advances in stem cell biology (e.g., induced pluripotent stem cells) and tissue engineering (e.g., in vitro skeletal muscle grafts) originally purposed for medical applications. CBM production involves four central components: (1) muscle and fat cell isolation and culture, (2) xeno-free culture medium formulation, (3) scaffold development, and (4) bioreactor design; the details of which are described extensively elsewhere. Interestingly, the concept of CBM can be traced back to 1930 when Frederick Smith, the British Secretary for India, envisioned the genesis of “self-reproducing steaks” through an excerpt of his essay collection The World in 2030 AD, which reads: “It will no longer be necessary to go to the extravagant length of rearing a bullock in order to eat its steak. From one ‘parent’ steam of choice tenderness, it will be possible to grow as large and as juicy a steak as can be desired.” While CBM has yet to be commercialized in 2020, noteworthy progress has taken place over the past couple of decades. Key milestones include the first CBM patent filed by Willem van Eelen in 1999, the first peer-reviewed research on cultured fish funded by NASA in 2002 and the first cultured beef burger debuted by Maastricht University in 2013. Today, there are dozens of start-up companies around the globe working to bring CBM products to market.

CBM experts indicate that key flavour profiles can be achieved by co-cultures, medium supplementation, and/or genetic modification. For instance, researchers have explored the effects of supplementing CBM with extracellular heme proteins (e.g., myoglobin). Myoglobin is associated with the “bloody” flavour of meat and supplementation was observed to improve the colour of CBM constructs without impeding muscle cell growth rates. Early cell-based prototypes emulate processed meat (e.g., burgers, sausages, nuggets) as it is more difficult to emulate the appearance and texture of whole cuts of meat (e.g., steak). As researchers in the field begin to focus on textural properties, significant effort will be required to evaluate myriad factors (e.g., cell to scaffold ratio, the impact of cooking, packaging, storage, and shipping) on tissue structure. CBM texture can be influenced both by cultured cells and supportive scaffolding materials. In vitro skeletal muscle tissue can be engineered to emulate the structure of meat by employing differentiation and cell alignment strategies. For example, mechanical tension, electrical stimulation, and/or micropatterned substrates can be employed to induce cell alignment in vitro. A recent study focused on CBM composed of bovine cells coupled with a textured soy protein scaffold; finding some of the samples exhibited texture (i.e., ultimate tensile strength) properties similar to those of native bovine muscle. In addition, a sensory panel tasted the CBM samples and described “a pleasant meaty flavour” and “a typical meat bite and texture”.

There are opportunities for plant-based and cell-based hybrid products. Considering the current high-cost hurdles associated with CBM, one approach is to focus on the aspects of PBM that fall short of ABM and determine where CBM can add the most value at the lowest inclusion rate.

HOW TO PREVENT INTERNALIZED MISOGYNY

 

HOW TO PREVENT INTERNALISED MISOGYNY

Misogyny is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. Internalized misogyny takes the form of sexist behaviors and attitudes enacted by women toward themselves or other women and girls. On a larger scale, internalized misogyny falls under the broad topic of internalized oppression, which "consists of oppressive practices that continue to make the rounds even when members of the oppressor group are not present".

Women who experience internalized misogyny may express it through minimizing the value of women, mistrusting women, and believing gender bias in favours of men. Women, after observing societal beliefs which demean the value and skills of women repeatedly, eventually internalize those misogynistic beliefs and apply them to themselves and other women. The implications of internalized misogyny include psychological disorders such as depression, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and less social support among women.

Internalized misogyny has potential to lead to body issues, lack of self-confidence, competition, and a sense of powerlessness. It is a major setback in resolving issues of misogyny as a whole. Ties to psychological distress such as anxious, depressive or somatic symptoms, have been identified as results of internalized misogyny. Possible effects can be depression and suicidal impulses.

Additionally, studies have found connections between as sexual objectification as a result of internalized misogyny and body shame, sexual objectification, and disordered eating. Internalized misogyny also plays a role in lowered academic goals and diminished job performance. On a larger scale, the presence of internalized misogyny in the world is believed to alienate those affected from each other and thus further promotes continued misogyny as a whole.

Society often tears down and attacks women, normalizing the casual hatred of powerful or successful women, especially those who don’t fit the mould for femininity. As we grow up, we are also taught to see each other as competition instead of peers. This breeds some ugly behaviour. 

Most of this can be attributed to the society we grew up in — we are immersed in sexism and gender stereotypes from the start. It takes unlearning what society has taught us about gender and sexuality to recognize our own internalized misogyny.

Through education and self-acceptance, many women are able to shed their internalized misogyny and learn to uplift fellow women. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who continue hating women because of their own immaturity or self-esteem issues. If you find yourself constantly tearing down other women to feel better about yourself, it is time to grow up.

So many female celebrities get hate from other women for arbitrary reasons, and it all comes from internalized misogyny. It is time to stop this ugly behaviour of women tearing down other women and leave it behind in middle school.

 

Ways in which we can deal with internalized misogyny are:

1.     Changing your perspective - Instead of trying to scrutinise how other women look or are based on your own conditioning, try to analyse your perspective. Stop judging them. Start questioning your own prejudices.

2.     Listening to other women - When a woman shares her experience, listen. Acknowledge. Make sure that they're heard, and they'll do the same for you. Show solidarity with them.

3.     Keeping an open mind - Centuries of ingrained prejudices can't be erased overnight. But try! Try to seek reason. Try to keep an open mind.

4.     Trying to find a common ground - Instead of finding differences, if you focus on finding similarities, you'll realise how many experiences you have in common. Unite.

5.     Empathizing with other women - Be kind to women around you. Empathize with them. Let them know they're not alone in their fight for justice and acceptance.

Femininity is not inferior. Each person who identifies as feminine is a human being who expresses themselves uniquely and individually, with equally valid goals and dreams and aspirations. Having female friends is a great thing! Feminine influences are important, and the idea of strong, functional female friendships between real, 3-dimensional people needs more representation, in both the media and real life. 

 

 

 

 

WHY DOES INDIA NEED FEMINISM?

 

According to Britannica, Feminism is the belief in social, economic, and political equality of the sexes. Although largely originating in the West, feminism is manifested worldwide and is represented by various institutions committed to activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests.

India needs feminism because a woman is not a burden and marriage should not be the only reason for her existence. Every year over 2 lakh girls are killed even before they can step into this world and thousands of women die due to dowry harassment. In many Indian households, males and females are treated differently; education, as well as nutrition for boys, is prioritized, while that of the girl is neglected. Women in many Indian families eat last and the least after serving all their other family members. This discrimination is reflected in the statistics released by the government, which states that almost 50 per cent of teenage Indian girls are underweight and 52 percent are anaemic.

Also, no man should be under the pressure of being emotionally and physically stronger than a woman. It’s time that statements like “Mard ko dard nahi hota” and “Ladke rote nahi” are side lined and men are not sneered at for volunteering to take up responsibilities at home.

 A woman should not be considered a responsibility of a male throughout her life, whether it be her father, brother, husband or son. Practices like ‘kanyadaan’, ‘Raksha Bandhan’ and the ‘purdah system’ where a woman is veiled behind a ghoonghat, highlight the extent of male dominance. These practices emphasize that strong, capable men have to protect the weak, fragile women and that women aren’t designed to protect, but to be protected.

The media portrayal of feminism contributes to its stigmatized image. This can be credited to both traditional and social media. Media has painted the feminist as a raging, man-hating woman. She is likely conventionally unattractive, overly sensitive, and perhaps she identifies as a lesbian. She focuses on fruitless protests and trivial things such as bra-less rights. Unfortunately, this cultivated image is not unexpected. Society has proven time and time again to reject assertive, trailblazing women. In this case, the media contributes to the derailment by playing up on society’s misogynistic, homophobic ideals. In reality, there is no one-dimensionality to feminists or the feminist movement. Feminists are made up of people of all genders, of all sexualities, of all classes. But even if feminists are angry, are gay, what is wrong with that? Why is it wrong to strive for equality? Given the injustices that women continue to face, it should be no surprise that many are willing to fight for change.

In India, for instance, dowry-related deaths account for 40 to 50% of female homicides in the country. Another shocking statistic shows that as of 2016, four cases of rape are reported in the nation every hour. A survey conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation places India at first place for the most dangerous country for women on the basis of criteria including healthcare, economic resources, cultural and traditional practices, violence (both sexual and non-sexual), female foeticide and infanticide, and human trafficking. India contains the highest number of girls that are married before the age of 18, as over 25% of all women are married underaged despite laws forbidding this practice. Therefore, there is an unquestionable need for feminism in India for the sake of women’s safety.

Women also face tremendous discrimination in the workplace worldwide. For example, the gender pay gap in India is reported to stand at 19% on average, with the percentage increasing as the skill level of the job rises. Sources such as Oxfam urge the world to look at the amount of unpaid work that women do, the addition of which causes the gender wage gap in India to rise to 34%. It is important to note that additional factors such as race and caste play a role in increasing the wage gap as well. Statistics about the global economic gender gap paint a grim picture. The World Economic Forum predicts that with the current rate of progress, it will take 202 years to close this gap. The rewards of closing the gap promptly are vast, both for women, society, and the economy as a whole.

Also, recent movements such as #MeToo brought the conversation about sexual harassment and assault to the mainstream, serving as a wakeup call for not only the entertainment industry, but other industries worldwide. This in turn led to tangible reformations in many workplaces in the form of social and policy change. Expanded attention on intersectional feminism, in addition, has increased the inclusivity of the movement, taking into account imperative factors such as race, religion, sexuality, and caste.

It’s time we recognize that feminism isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives this strength. Nobody should be afraid of being referred to as a feminist because it frees both men and women from the imposed gender stereotypes. Feminism shouldn’t be perceived as hostility against men because Me asking for my rights will not deprive you of yours!