“To the best of my knowledge the cells are only being used for in vitro testing of various chemicals and compounds. Inspired by the new product Starlight launched by The Coca-Cola Company in. He told The Associated Press via email that the cells “would be used in tests for various properties of compounds to be used as flavor enhancers” but “would not themselves be incorporated into beverages or other foods.” HEK293 (Human embryonic kidney 293) cells are usually the best choice for. If a protein reacted positively to a flavor, the company would move on to further taste tests.įrank Graham, a professor emeritus in the departments of biology and pathology and molecular medicine at McMaster University, developed the HEK-293 cell line in the 1970s. But as a Senomyx official explained in a 2011 interview with Miami New Times, the company used the cell lines in “basically a robotic tasting system” that isolated human taste receptors in the form of proteins to test out how they reacted to flavors. Senomyx was acquired in 2018 by the Swiss company Firmenich, which did not respond to multiple emailed requests for comment. However, numerous news reports over the years have clarified that the company didn’t put fetal cells into any food products given to consumers.

The HEK293 cell line was first established in the early 1970s using cells from a kidney of a fetus.

For years, people have criticized and misrepresented the fact that the biotechnology company Senomyx used the HEK293 cell line - or Human Embryonic Kidney 293 - in research involving flavor development.

Hek293 coca cola