It may sound like science fiction, but exhibitors at the first ever 3D Food Printing Conference in The Netherlands believe it is the future.
They were showing off all the latest and most innovative in the field, including a 3D food printer by company ByFlow, able to create perfect caviar made of fruit gelatin.
It may not be mainstream today, but, just like the micro-wave oven back in the 80s, some believe the 3D food printer will soon be a part of every modern kitchen.
“We are going back to the time when microwaves arrived in the kitchen and people said ‘I am not going to heat my food in a microwave because I just don’t understand it.’ It’s a different technology but it’s the same concept. Once your mind allows it to be a part of your kitchen, you will be able to print your food,” said Marcio Barrades, head of sales at ByFlow.
German start-up Print2Taste presented its latest plug and play concept. The user draws a simple shape on a tablet computer which is then printed using a sweet gelatin substance. The result, say developers, is more than just appealing and can be adapted to a person’s specific needs.
“That’s always depending on the person, that’s why it’s personalized,” says Melanie Senger, concept developer at Print2Taste. “So if someone has deficiency in vitamin D you can add some vitamin D, if someone has another deficiency, maybe they don’t eat enough, you can add some energy in form of proteins or fat, or people who are obese or overweight, you can increase the fibre so that they feel full faster and do not take up so much energy.”
While 3D food printing is still in its infancy, testing and tasting are taken very seriously by these ambitious innovators convinced that this is the solution to feeding the planet’s growing population.
