Apr 15, 2016 | By Alec
Image: EPSRC.
This week the future of 3D printed food looked bright, as industry specialists and foodies gathered for the 3D Food Printing Conference in Venlo, the Netherlands. One of the highlights was a completely 3D printed and delicious five-course meal. But it was also a good place to find out more about the state of research on food 3D printing. And during a lecture, members from the British Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) showcased a very interesting concept that could greatly increase the range of 3D printable foods: using cellulose particles as building blocks.
For the reality is that the 3D printing of food isn’t easy. It’s a very fun novelty, but it is largely limited to a select number of foods that can be safely reduced to a paste and yet hold their shapes after 3D printing. As researchers from the EPSRC and the UK Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) explained, the process of discovering viable and edible inks is still very much underway. It’s not just a matter of forcing a bunch of ingredients through an extruder. “To bring around complex formulations that can be applied to 3D printing, we need a liquid that can solidify. [We are trying to find out] what other materials might exist in the future by adapting existing properties and those in the future to move forward and [see] how they can be manipulated,” said Dr. Jennie Lord, National Center Manager at EPSRC.
Right now, water is commonly used to turn food into pastes, but that is extremely inefficient and not exactly a good solution for regions in the world suffering from scarcity. “We are looking at bypassing water inefficiency and moving to dry powder that can be reconstituted. This technology is in its extreme infancy, scale is the biggest blocker at the moment,” Lord argued at the conference. To study those alternatives, the EPSRC is also closely working with the Centre for Innovative Manufacturing of Food (CIM), involving the Universities of Nottingham, Loughborough and Birmingham.
But even if they are successful, food 3D printing as a solution for waste and scarcity is still a long way away. A lot of different nutritional and consumption factors, Lord argues, still need to be studied. “Food is complex and the consumer is a complex being, we all have different needs, some people have better digestive systems than others,” she says. “We need to revise how the media is starting to put this idea into the consumers mind, the discussion about insects and algae, and what the consumer expects from that.”
But the first breakthrough might have already been found, as University of Nottingham PhD researcher Sonia Holland revealed. As part of the research collaboration, she is currently studying the possibility of using cellulose particles as a binding polymer that would make a lot more foods 3D printable. It’s a mostly tasteless glucose substance that acts as the building material in the cellular structures of plants and wood. “Cellulose is the most abundant polymer in nature, providing structure to plant cell walls. It is therefore consumed regularly in the diet, not contributing any calorific value but acting as a natural dietary fiber,” she says.
The only problem is that humans can struggle to digest cellulose, unlike cows. “The crystalline structure is difficult to dissolve. In terms of food production it is not exactly food safe but there are ways to make it soluble,” Holland argues. They are therefore looking into various solutions to make it easier to digest, including milling the substance through mechanical abrasion to destroy the crystalline structures.
If successful, this could be a significant step towards a very wide range of 3D printable foods. But the research is still very much in its earliest stages, so don’t expect delicious cellulose meals anytime soon. But the British researchers are also not completely convinced about food 3D printing yet. There’s no point, argued Bryan Hanley of the KTN, to work with a new technology if it doesn’t provide viable and affordable solutions. “3D printing does have value and there are potential advantages, but who is going to pay for it?”, he wondered at Venlo. It looks like the debate surrounding 3D printing food is everything but over.
Posted in 3D Printing Materials
Maybe you also like:
- Extrudr unveils new Green TEC 3D printer filament made from renewable and natural materials
- New nylon 3D printing filament from Graphene 3D Lab promises strength & 'bendability'
- How fast does moisture break down popular 3D printing material PLA?
- Type A Machines launches new ProMatte lightweight 3D printer filament, 30% lighter than standard PLA
- colorFabb_HT filament revealed, perfect for durable and temperature resistant 3D prints
- Kai Parthy reveals new REFLECT-o-LAY 3D printable filament that reflects light in the dark
- Zortrax celebrates 350% increase in filament sales, offers free 3D printer with 56x filament order
- 3D printing gases market worth 45.12 million USD by 2020
- ProtoParadigm unveils $5 PLA filament thanks to cost-effective 3D printed spool
- PolyMaker's PC-Plus filament strong enough to lift 240 kg, now available without BuildTak
- Stratasys ESD PEKK 3D printing thermoplastic prevents electrostatic discharge on satellites
3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.
