Researchers at Columbia University‘s Creative Machines Lab are exploring the potential of 3D-printed food to replace traditional cooking appliances such as ovens, stovetops, and microwaves. In a new paper published in npj Science of Food, the researchers discuss the benefits and drawbacks of 3D-printed food technology, how it compares to conventional food and the future landscape of kitchens. They also explore whether 3D food printing will improve how we nourish ourselves and the hurdles that must be overcome to commercialize the technology.

The researchers have developed a 3D-printing system that constructs cheesecake from edible food inks, including peanut butter, Nutella, and strawberry jam. Precision printing of multi-layered food items could produce more customizable foods, improve food safety, and enable users to control the nutrient content of meals more easily. 3D-printed food could benefit the plant-based meat market, where texture and flavor must be carefully formulated to mimic natural meats.

The team tested various cheesecake designs of seven key ingredients, with graham crackers as the foundational ingredient for each cake layer. Peanut butter and Nutella proved best as supporting layers that formed “pools” to hold the softer ingredients: banana and jam. Multi-ingredient designs evolved into multi-tiered structures that followed similar principles to building architectures.

Personalized nutrition, better control and tailoring of nutrition, and making food more appealing to those with swallowing disorders are potential benefits of 3D food printing. The system uses high-energy targeted light for high-resolution tailored heating, making cooking more cost-effective and sustainable. However, much work is still needed to collect data, model, and optimize these processes.

References

• Blutinger, J. D., Cooper, C. C., Karthik, S., Tsai, A., Samarelli, N., Storvick, E., Seymour, G., Liu, E., Meijers, Y., & Lipson, H. (2023). The future of software-controlled cooking. Npj Science of Food, 7(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-023-00182-6
• Evarts, H. (2023, March 21). Honey, the 3D print–I mean, dessert–is ready!: Columbia Engineers explore the benefits and drawbacks of 3D-printed food technology. Columbia Engineering; Columbia University in the City of New York. https://www.engineering.columbia.edu/news/honey-the-3d-print-i-mean-dessert-is-ready