inside the future of food with 3D printed and software-made meals

3D printed food as the future of gastronomic industry

3D printed food like salmon, meat, pasta, and dessert can take over the future of the gastronomic industry as software-controlled meals. At first, researchers were curious about whether or not machines could print food. Now, that has been proven, and the topic has broadened. Engineers and scientists use printers to produce personalized food using softened ingredients. Researchers look at these meals as essential kits for astronauts embarking on space exploration and long-term missions. Studies have found that 3D printed food can address medical needs, including making food with specific textures for the elderly and for those who have problems swallowing, known as dysphagia.

Companies and startups have started creating their food with printers to replicate the texture, taste, and look of traditional eats. Chefs tap into the technology to realize designs they’ve wanted to bring out into the culinary sphere. 3D printed food explores food waste production too by using less conventional sources and precisely controlling the amount of ingredients used. Then, computers and digital tools set up and design the food, printers pump out the softened ingredients from the nozzles, and nutritional additives can be added to produce healthier meals. In our deep dive, we look into the reason 3D printed food started, the limitations of the current design software, the engineering behind it, as well as using food waste as ingredients and other new technologies to make food.

Digital Meat: Food Texture Mapping | image courtesy of Dr. Jonathan Blutinger, study here

A brief look into the past of software-controlled meals

For a brief history, the concept of 3D printed food began around 2006 with Cornell University’s Fab@Home project. It’s one of the earliest initiatives that produced the pioneering open-source, multi-material 3D printer that could use chocolate, cookie dough, and cheese as components. At that time, until 2009, Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories had CandyFab under its belt, a machine that used hot air to make sugar sculptures. Other companies tried their hands at producing 3D printed food: Philips with Food Creation Printer in 2008, Choc Edge with chocolate printer in 2012, Natural Machines with food printer in 2014, and 3D Systems and Hershey’s with a chocolate printer in 2014. Recently, companies have built on the existing technologies to improve the software-controlled meal printers.

Even then, there are still limitations to conquer before 3D printed food can make its way into continuous production and consumption. 3D printed food mainly works using an extrusion system tailored for viscous food masses. In general, conventional printers churn out hard plastic or polymers. With food, the ingredients need to be softer, like a paste or similar to bread dough. Take Revo Foods, the startup that uses mycoprotein, or fermented mushroom protein, to produce commercially available 3D printed salmon and cod. ‘In our process, we can integrate two different materials together, such as proteins and fats. This leads to new functional behavior, such as typical flakiness similar to that in fish fillets. Because the fat is integrated into the protein when heated, it melts and creates a new texture,’ Robin Simsa, CEO of Revo Foods, explains to designboom in an interview.

extruded food for people with dysphagia | image courtesy of Dr. Alexandros Stratakos and Oluwatobi Fatola

Digital tools and parametric design to make 3D printed food

The printing process begins with a digital algorithm, at least with Artisia, the 3D printed pasta sibling of the brand Barilla. Antonio Gagliardi, Artisia’s Design and Technology Lead, shares with designboom that they develop their 3D printed pasta using parametric design. Once they have the instructions on hand, they fire up their machine, and it extrudes fresh pasta dough through multiple nozzles simultaneously, building each shape layer by layer. ‘The result is a shape that holds its structure during cooking. Of course, 3D printing is just one step in a broader process. After printing, the pasta undergoes a careful drying phase, making it shelf-stable and ready to be shipped worldwide. It can be cooked like any traditional pasta,’ he shares with designboom.

Because the meals are software controlled, it’s in the hands of the maker to design the food. Engineers can even integrate two different materials together, such as proteins and fats. With fish fillets, for example, the printers can produce the typical ‘flakiness’ often seen in the traditional ones. ‘It’s because the fat is integrated into the protein. When heated, it melts up a bit, which creates the texture,’ Robin Simsa tells designboom. Having to use software and digital tools also allows for design freedom. At one point, Revo Foods printed fish shaped like tennis rackets and sets of balls. The CEO says this shows the kind of flexibility the technology offers to the food industry.

software-controlled desert | image courtesy of Dr. Jonathan Blutinger, study here

Even with the advanced technologies these days, 3D printed food still faces software, design, and production limitations that can hinder it from becoming the future of the gastronomic industry, at least as an affordable option. ‘Most software used in 3D food printing today comes from industrial or architectural modelling and doesn’t fully accommodate the specific behaviors of edible pastes or fluids,’ Antonio Gagliardi tells designboom. Because of this, among others, software-controlled meals lack internal structure. They also tend to look similar or singular, and some of the machines used are relatively for single-use only. The current 3D printers can be slower than other food production methods. They also have a limited volume of materials they can process at once. Because of these, making it commercially available immediately is costly and takes time.

Printers may need to be adapted too for each specific food material, so there’s no one-printer-prints-all. Then, the initial and maintenance costs can be quite high. In terms of visual appeal to the consumers, 3D printed food hasn’t established a loyal following yet. It’s a hit or miss, depending on the texture and taste of the meal. So far, Artisia has already started resolving some of these issues. Antonio Gagliardi admits to us that Artisia has developed a multi-head printer that produces 36 pieces of pasta simultaneously. ‘That said, many of our manufacturing steps remain manual and artisanal, hence the name Artisia. The most labor-intensive stages are dough preparation and packaging. Customization is key – not just in shapes and doughs, but also in packaging – and full automation would compromise the quality and flexibility,’ he says.

pastes are the most optimal form for printing | image courtesy of Dr. Jonathan Blutinger

Startups and companies serving 3D printed food are confident about the customization of the software-controlled meals. In the process, however, especially with extrusion-based style, these bites can lose their (innate) vitamins and minerals. The way food is handled after it’s 3D printed, like cooking or drying, also impacts its nutritional value, at times more than the process of printing itself. The researchers at the University of the West of England, Bristol, share with designboom that post-printing, the protein structure of the food may change, which affects how our bodies absorb it. Thermal treatments can also change the texture and digestibility of the food, known as starch gelatinization, as well as break down the natural antioxidants of the meals, reducing their health benefits.

Dr. Alexandros Stratakos, Associate Professor in Sustainable Agri-Food Production, and Oluwatobi Fatola, PhD candidate in 3D printing, School of Applied Sciences, add that traditional food preparation methods – like boiling and frying – also affect nutrients a lot, not just 3D printed foods. In ways, then, the real nutritional impact comes from how the food is cooked or processed, not necessarily how it’s printed. The researchers note that the engineers and designers can incorporate specific nutrients into the food matrices. Machines can produce meals enriched with vitamins and minerals, making the food designed for those with nutritional deficiencies. ‘Another example is multi-ingredient 3D printed food developed for people with dysphagia, designed to meet both their textural and nutritional requirements. Also, the use of protein-rich ingredients in 3D printing formulations can improve both the structural integrity and the nutritional value of printed foods. Incorporating proteins into the printing material has been shown to enhance shape fidelity as well as the health benefits of the final product,’ the researchers tell designboom.

The Filet by Revo Foods | image courtesy of Revo Foods, read more here

Because 3D printed food is customizable, the machines can also develop allergen-free meals. The systems allow for a careful selection and exclusion of specific allergens like gluten, soy, or nuts. ‘Because 3D food printing operates in a highly controlled environment, the risk of cross-contamination is substantially reduced,’ say Dr. Alexandros Stratakos and Oluwatobi Fatola. ‘The automation and precision of the process further help to minimize human error and unintended allergen exposure, which is a key concern in traditional food manufacturing. Moreover, this technology opens the door to personalised allergen-free foods that can be tailored to the specific needs of individuals or groups for example, children with multiple food allergies or hospital patients on restrictive diets.’

Still, it’s worth noting that users still need to overcome technical challenges. As the researchers explain to designboom, not all allergen-free ingredients have the properties that are suitable for 3D printing. On the upside, it’s an ongoing area of 3D printed food research, including keeping the structure after printing, making visually appealing printouts, and producing digestible bites in terms of texture and flavor. Another post-printing concern related to 3D printed food being the future of meals is its shelf life. Dr. Jonathan Blutinger, a design engineer formerly at Columbia University’s Creative Machines Lab and now with the U.S. Army’s Combat Feeding Division at the Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center, tells designboom that it largely depends on the form of the input ingredients and whether they are thermally processed pre- or post-printing.

the startup uses fermented mushroom protein to produce 3D printed salmon | image courtesy of Revo Foods

He adds that ‘the printing process itself doesn’t alter the quality, freshness, or chemical make-up of the food product; it’s merely an intricate assembly technique, so it’s more so a function of the ingredients themselves.’ For a longer shelf life, food makers should consider starting with ingredients in their most basic powder form. Then, they mix it with other liquids before printing them since ‘pastes are the most optimal form for printing Otherwise, storing ingredients in airtight containers prior to printing tends to be the best way to preserve freshness, and then cooking ingredients immediately after printing to kill any potentially harmful bacteria,’ says Dr. Jonathan Blutinger. Still, it’s best to eat the 3D printed food a while after it has been produced rather than letting it sit on the shelf for weeks.

What about the food waste? The software-controlled meals are dubbed to help streamline food production: less conventional sources, less waste. There are ways to recycle 3D printed food’s waste into ingredients for another series of production. The design engineer informs us that the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) has a project called Cornucopia. ‘It aims to utilize resources from the natural environment, on-site where soldiers will actually be eating, to produce food for their field feeding. It could reduce the logistical burden of carrying food and supplies on their person in addition to reducing vulnerabilities in the supply chain. And as part of the U.S. Army’s Combat Feeding Division (CFD), DEVCOM Soldier Center, I see application of 3D food printing technology towards this Cornucopia effort, as a way to craft palatable meals from local resources,’ explains Dr. Jonathan Blutinger.

Other than the Cornucopia, the 3D printing technology also upcycles food waste materials like fruit peels, vegetable trimmings, and even stale bread into new, edible products. Dr. Alexandros Stratakos and Oluwatobi Fatola share with us that these streams can be processed into printable pastes, or food inks, which are then extruded to create new food. ‘Beyond reducing environmental impact, this method supports a circular food economy by transforming underutilized resources into high-value foods. It also offers opportunities to enhance nutrition, for example, by enriching food inks with fiber, protein, or antioxidants naturally present in the original waste materials,’ the researchers add. Looking into the future, 3D printed food isn’t the only kind that’s ready to innovate the way we eat our meals. Dr. Jonathan Blutinger says that laser cooking can also offer multi-dimensional and versatile cooking possibilities. In this case, machines follow a design and blast a laser to produce cooked products ready to be sold.

Dr. Alexandros Stratakos and Oluwatobi Fatola suggest computational gastronomy, which combines data science with culinary arts to make food. Basically, it uses machine learning and data analytics to generate personalized food meeting the diet needs. This is valuable in the healthcare industry, a strong contender to the ‘bland’ food served at the hospitals. Smart appliances that can cook food on their own are also strong candidates in the future-of-meals discussion. ‘Moreover, cooking and food assembly appliances that aren’t software-enabled or part of the IoT will have a hard time competing with the smarter appliances that are constantly learning and adapting from user habits to become more efficient food-crafting robots,’ says Dr. Jonathan Blutinger. Recently, the growing presence of vertical farming is also noticeable, growing crops in stacked layers using controlled indoor environments. 3D printed food is one of the many technologies revolutionizing the way we eat. As it slowly makes its way into large-scale commercial production, other ways to make food picks up the pace, continuously changing the landscape of gastronomy.

Salix pasta by Artisia | from here, all images courtesy of Artisia