Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Food critics give their verdict on the burger's taste and texture 
 
 The world's first lab-grown burger has been cooked and eaten at a news conference in London. Among the tasters will be the Chicago-based author of Taste of Tomorrow, Josh Schonwald, and an Austrian food trends researcher, Hanni Rützler of the Future Food Studio. Though calculations of the environmental impact of Dr Post's lab-grown meat have yet to be published, early indications suggest that cultured meat could reduce the need for land and water by as much as 90% and overall energy use by up to 70%. By 2060, human population is predicted to rise to 9.5 billion and, with a rising demand for meat from rapidly developing populations in, for example, China and India, the market in meat is expected to double by the middle of the century. "It's really just proof of concept right now, we're trying to create the first cultured beef hamburger," said Brin in a film to mark the tasting event in London. Brin, a computer scientist who set up Google with university colleague Larry Page, is one of the wealthiest men in the world and has a history of backing projects that sound as though they belong in science fiction movies. Brin's money was used by a team led by physiologist Dr Mark Post at Maastricht University to grow 20,000 muscle fibres from cow stem cells over the course of three months. The total biomass of our livestock is almost double that of the people on the planet and accounts for 5% of carbon dioxide emissions and 40% of methane emissions – a much more potent greenhouse gas. She added: "A lot of people consider lab-grown meat repulsive at first.
– The $330,000 "Frankenburger" was cooked and eaten at a London press conference today, and it turns out we have Sergey Brin to thank for the blessed event. The Google co-founder put up the aforementioned cash needed to create the first lab-grown burger, a move borne from a concern for animal welfare. "When you see how these cows are treated, it's certainly something I'm not comfortable with," he explains in a 6-minute video for the Guardian. But enough about Brin, and more about the taste of the patty, which was made from the stem cells of cattle. Reactions, per the BBC: Chicago-based author of Taste of Tomorrow, Josh Schonwald: "The mouthfeel is like meat. I miss the fat, there's a leanness to it, but the general bite feels like a hamburger. What was consistently different was flavor." Austrian food trends researcher, Hanni Ruetzler: "I was expecting the texture to be more soft ... there is quite some intense taste, it's close to meat, but it's not that juicy. The consistency is perfect, but I miss salt and pepper. This is meat to me. It's not falling apart." Fun facts: The burger was dyed with beetroot juice, and flavored with breadcrumbs, caramel, and saffron. Click for background on how the patty was created.