Go Green & Eat Crap: Edible Burgers Made From Human Waste

Japanese researcher, Mitsuyuki Ikeda, has discovered a way to synthesize edible steaks and burgers from proteins derived from human feces. Due to the overabundance of sewage in Japan, Tokyo Sewage approached Ikeda to explore its possible uses. Ikeda discovered that the sewage mud contained high levels of protein because of all the bacteria.

The proteins are extracted from the sewage mud, treated with a reaction enhancer, and put in an exploder which creates the artificial meat. The “meat” consists of 63% protein, 25% carbohydrates, 3% lipids, and 9% minerals. It is colored red with food coloring, and the flavor is enhanced with soy protein.

Researchers say it tastes just like beef. Ikeda’s recycled meat would reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions. By some measures, the livestock sector accounts for 18% of all green house gas emissions. Livestock production generates large volumes of potent gasses like nitrous oxide (296 times stronger than carbon dioxide as a heat-trapping gas), methane (23 times stronger than carbon dioxide), and ammonia (key ingredient in acid rain). By 2050, research suggests that global meat production will more than double, which will significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions.

Ikeda, a resourceful man, wanted to help create food for the needy and less fortunate. However, when you factor in the cost of research, the cost of synthetic meat is ten to twenty times the cost of regular meat. In addition, the psychological barriers for knowingly ingesting human fecal matter are difficult to overcome.

In the end, Ikeda believes that once research is finished, people will be able to overlook its unappetizing origins in favor of perks like environmental responsibility, and consider it as an option or solution for feeding the less fortunate and underprivileged in third world countries. Perhaps the Chinese have already found a way to synthesize recycled meat for a lower cost per patty. A likely next step would be to begin aggressive testing and implementation in government-owned hospitals, secondary schools, and prisons. Bon Appetit! (Full Story by Ethan A. Huff on Natural News)

Via: [Natural News]