Hit “print” for dinner
A new dimension for food security
When it comes to 3D-printed food, there is a best-practice “recipe” that overcomes some major manufacturing hurdles of this emerging sector, according to a new study.
Why it matters: The latest U.N. climate change report identifies the role of climate warming in exposing millions of people worldwide to acute food insecurity. Some are looking to untapped solutions.
How it works: 3D-printed food is made through an additive manufacturing process similar to standard 3D printing — except it’s done using edible materials.
- Across Europe, several restaurants and butchers are offering 3D-printed “meat” cuts, made from ingredients such as soy protein and chickpeas, manufactured by the startup Redefine Meat.
- In the U.S., an LA-based digital bakery 3D-prints candy and a Columbia University lab just revealed a seven-ingredient 3D slice of cheesecake.
The big picture: Food is “becoming less available due to environmental challenges that we face today,” says Ezgi Pulatsu, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ottawa who researches food engineering and manufacturing.
- She sees 3D-printed food as potentially helping to solve problems in global food production that drive food insecurity.
- It also “will make the food system more efficient” and generate less waste, Pulatsu says.
Yes, but: There are a host of issues with practical application, both at the industrial level and for home use, in part from a lack of scientific research in the emerging technology.
Zoom out: Pulatsu co-authored a peer-reviewed study published Tuesday in the journal Physics of Fluids that seeks to fill in the gaps in information.
- Optimizing processes that influence the quality and complexity of 3D-printed food can offer better results, control and speed, according to the study authors.
- They identified extrusion-based 3D printing — wherein food paste is forced out of a syringe nozzle by direct or indirect pressure — as the “most applicable technique” for conventionally 3D-printing food.
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Πηγή: axios.com
