Gastro-technology – 3D Printed Fake Steak and Chocolate

3D printing is making inroads into food production. Two traction points are imitation meat and designer chocolate.

Rob Spiegel

January 10, 2022

1 Min Read
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While 3D printed food is not new – we produced 3D printed pancakes at a trade show a few years back – the technology is revealing surprising advances. Two areas of promise, even maturity, show up in the world of plant-based meat production and chocolate that can be drawn in special shapes.

Fake Meat Gets Real

The world of imitation meat has gained significant culinary interest in recent years, with the Impossible Burger offering an uncanny resemblance to hamburger. 3D printed fake meat may take this effort into higher realms of imitation.

Chocolate in Your Face

3D printed chocolate has traveled far from its experimental roots. These days you can order specially made chocolate objects. Years ago, MIT research associate David Carr created a 3D printer called the Eat Your Face Machine which takes a model of your face and carves it into chocolate. These days several companies offer that service. This video shows the range of possibilities for 3D printed chocolate:

 

About the Author

Rob Spiegel

Rob Spiegel serves as a senior editor for Design News. He started with Design News in 2002 as a freelancer covering sustainability issues, including the transistion in electronic components to RoHS compliance. Rob was hired by Design News as senior editor in 2011 to cover automation, manufacturing, 3D printing, robotics, AI, and more.

Prior to his work with Design News, Rob worked as a senior editor for Electronic News and Ecommerce Business. He served as contributing editolr to Automation World for eight years, and he has contributed to Supply Chain Management Review, Logistics Management, Ecommerce Times, and many other trade publications. He is the author of six books on small business and internet commerce, inclluding Net Strategy: Charting the Digital Course for Your Company's Growth.

He has been published in magazines that range from Rolling Stone to True Confessions.

Rob has won a number of awards for his technolloghy coverage, including a Maggy Award for a Design News article on the Jeep Cherokee hacking, and a Launch Team award for Ecommerce Business. Rob has also won awards for his leadership postions in the American Marketing Association and SouthWest Writers.

Before covering technology, Rob spent 10 years as publisher and owner of Chile Pepper Magazine, a national consumer food publication. He has published hundreds of poems and scores of short stories in national publications.

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