(Yicai Global) Nov. 19 -- A team of scientists from Nanjing Agriculture University have grown five grams of meat in 20 days by cultivating stem cells from pigs.

The team was led by Prof. Zhou Guanghong, a long-time teacher of meat processing and quality research and a fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology as of last year, the school said on social media yesterday. It did not disclose further details about the experiment.

Cultured or lab-grown meat refers to protein created through in-vitro cultivation of animal stem cells of than slaughter. Scientists obtain the cells from live animals then nurture them in a test tube or petri dish to produce muscle tissue.

Several organizations have begun testing synthetic meat, but products costs are high. American fast food chains Burger King and McDonald's, among others, have already sold burgers made from cultured meat.

Editor: James Boynton