3D Cuisine – Added Nutrition and Fun BLOG EXPERT #3
Unlike my previous “BLOG EXPERT POST #2” which focused on current uses of 3D printing technology in food (regarding confectionery applications) this entry highlights not only a new manufacturing process for 3D printing, which resembles the Henry Ford model of assembly line manufacturing and thus allotting for a more economic and efficient process, but the innovations that can be brought to food both from a nutritional and “fun” aspect and how it all ties into making some types of food a viable 3D printed product.
TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research) is a nonprofit company in the Netherlands that focuses on applied science. According to their website (http://www.3ders.org/articles/20131230-tno-italian-pasta-maker-barilla-working-on-3d-pasta-printers.html) they were the first in the world to show that 3D printing can be done in a continuous production process, much like the assembly line model first employed by Henry Ford, instead of the traditional and customary process of batch production. This particular manufacturing technique is said to lead to new types of production systems for the manufacturing of complex and multi-material products ranging from electronics to food. Regarding my primary focus on food, this is a huge innovation because food in itself is complex and depending on the type does not lend itself to be produced in a batch manner and still remain economical and efficient given current technology especially when considering a mass market. Listed below is a video of this manufacturing technique:
Now, as this process applies to food, one must consider that food in itself is a very complex thing in general. Different textures, ingredients, formulas, and such all must be carefully considered during the production process of a wide variety of foods and in this particular case pasta. TNO is currently working with Barilla, an Italy-based top pasta manufacturer, to produce a 3D printer that is capable of printing 15-20 pieces of pasta every two minutes. Kjeld van Bommel, the project leader at TNO, has said that the two entities have been working on the project for more than two years and that several experimental 3D food printers have already been installed in various restaurants in the Netherlands with hopes that the technology would expand internationally by 2014. The technology during two years of research has rapidly evolved as stated by van Bommel; “The print speed now is ten times faster than when we started two years ago.” This endeavour, on a basic front, is to ultimately provide restaurant guests with a custom made pasta for restaurant patrons during special occasions such as an anniversary in which the pasta can be made into the shape of a rose for instance. Consequently, it would also allow the ability to have an individual patron save a design and bring it to a restaurant employing the technology and have the design created on-site. (http://www.3ders.org/articles/20131230-tno-italian-pasta-maker-barilla-working-on-3d-pasta-printers.html)
However, TNO’s vision is much broader and they hope to one day reach the point where the technology can be used to manufacture 3D printed foods that are made of healthier ingredients and have exact macro nutrient contents that would address the nutritional needs for a wide variety of people such as senior’s whom would need more protein and calcium in their diet to ensure optimal health. Also, the employment of alternative ingredients such as algae can be too integrated into foods to enrich an individuals’ diet and make it more well-rounded overall. This brings more truth to the notion that food can be both fun and good!