Lab-Grown Burgers Just Got a $330,000 Discount

May 26, 2015 2:10 PM EDT

Cattle farmers are wringing their hands over a staggering drop in the price of lab-grown beef, with cost estimates plummeting from more than a quarter million dollars a patty to as little as $12.

Dutch professor Mark Post, who developed the world’s first “frankenburger” in 2012, will discuss the latest breakthroughs in lab-grown beef to a gathering of cattle farmers in Darwin (yes, Darwin) Australia, according to Australian broadcaster ABC News. The price drop, first spotted by Fast Company, could bring artificial beef within the same cost bracket of natural beef within one year, Post estimates.

However, the Maastricht University professor also estimated that the patty was still 20 to 30 years away from being served up on a mass scale. And early taste tests suggests it’s still a distant second to the natural beef patty. Still, that hasn’t stopped Google co-founder Sergey Brin from becoming an early investor in the alternative meat.

The 17 Most Influential Burgers of All Time

Russia's President Medvedev and U.S. President Obama have burgers for lunch at Ray's Hell Burger restaurant in Arlington — Kevin Lamarque—Reuters

BURGER KING WHOPPER — Burger King Corporation/PRNewsFoto/AP

Heart Attack Grill owner Jon poses with a quadruple bypass cheese burger in Chandler, Arizona — Joshua Lott—Reuters

Developer Of First Cultivated Beef Burger Mark Post — Simon Dawson—Bloomberg/Getty Images

The ordering lingo for this Atlanta staple, which debuted in 1928, is almost as delicious as the burger itself: you get it “all the way” in lieu of “with onions,” and “walk a steak” replaces “to-go.” These branding gimmicks were later replicated by burger chains like In-N-Out, whose secret menu (see: “animal style” and "protein style") has helped lure millions of customers. — Courtesy of Kayla Tausche—AP

Shake Shack Comes to Russia Two Decades After McDonald's Debut — Andrey Rudakov—Bloomberg/Getty Images

Designer Burger Demand in Los Angeles Grabs Hold in New York — Patrick Fallon—Bloomberg/Getty Images

Image converted using ifftoany — Coutesy of Gardenburger

In October, Chicago heavy-metal-themed bar Kuma's Corner launched one of the most outrageous burgers to date: the Ghost Burger—it's named after Swedish metal band Ghost B.C.—was topped with an unconsecrated Communion wafer. The dish sold well, but angered Catholics (and garnered national headlines), prompting the owners to donate $1,500 to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago. — Courtesy of Kuma

Japan - Fast Food - Mos Food Services - Hamburger Chain — Everett Kennedy Brown—EPA/Corbis

Although this twist on the cheeseburger—in which the cheese is melted inside the patty—was reportedly invented in the 1920s, when chefs were still experimenting with the burger, it gained national attention in 2008, thanks to a feud between two Minneapolis bars that both claim to have "invented" it. Since then, there have been numerous imitators, proving that a little innovation and a dash of hype is all it takes to reinvigorate enthusiasm for a classic. Correction: The original version of this story misstated the date of invention of the Jucy Lucy. It was put on the menu at Matt's in 1954. — Bruce Bisping—Minneapolis Star Tribune/ZUMA Press

In-N-Out Burger As The Company Is Valued At Near $2 Billion — Patrick T. Fallon—Bloomberg/Getty Images

White Castle Hamburgers — Najlah Feanny—Corbis

Lab-Grown Burgers Could Get $330,000 Cheaper

The 17 Most Influential Burgers of All Time

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