But what if there were a way to get some of the flavor or protein of meat in plants grown in soil? In research published in Frontiers in Plant Science, scientists achieved that very thing, genetically engineering lettuce and tobacco plants to grow the animal protein myoglobin. Comparisons of lettuce in the experiment, with wild-type (natural) lettuce on the left in each photo, and engineered forms on the right. "One of the biggest surprises was how well the plants tolerated myoglobin production," Groff said. The researchers acknowledge further studies are needed to provide a more accurate assessment of how well myoglobin production in plants would compare to existing livestock farming.