Scientists Develop World's Largest Lab-Grown Chicken Nugget. Would You Try it?

Scientists in Japan have made a big breakthrough in the world of lab-grown meat. A team from the University of Tokyo has successfully grown a chicken nugget-sized piece of meat using a special device called a bioreactor. This machine helps feed the growing cells with oxygen and nutrients, just like blood vessels do in real animals.

Growing lab meat isn’t new, but until now, most pieces were tiny and didn’t look or feel like real meat. This new method uses tiny tube-like fibers that act like artificial veins, spreading food and oxygen evenly through the meat. These tubes also help the cells grow in the right shape and direction.

The result? A 2.7-inch (7 cm) wide and 0.7-inch (2 cm) thick piece of chicken muscle the largest lab-grown meat chunk ever made. It weighs about a third of an ounce. Scientists say this is a huge step toward making lab meat that looks, feels, and even tastes like real meat.

The new tool, called a "perfusable hollow fiber bioreactor," uses 50 hollow fibers to act like tiny veins. This helps solve a big problem: how to keep cells alive and growing across larger pieces of meat.

However, there are still challenges ahead. The chicken made in this experiment isn’t safe to eat yet, since it wasn’t made with food-safe materials. Also, some parts of the process still need to be done by hand. Scientists are working on ways to automate the system so they can make larger, edible pieces faster and more safely.

Another hurdle is public opinion. A 2024 poll in the U.S. showed that about one-third of people wouldn't try lab-grown chicken, mostly because they’re unsure if it’s safe or natural. There are also questions about whether making lab meat on a large scale will be better for the environment.

Still, the team is hopeful. They believe this new technology could speed up the creation of realistic, eco-friendly meat that doesn’t require killing animals. The same technology could also be useful in medicine, like for growing human tissues or testing drugs.

Right now, lab-grown meat is sold in a few countries, including Singapore, the U.S., and Israel, but it’s still a small part of the food market. Scientists hope that new advancements like this one will help bring lab-grown meat to more people around the world in the future.

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