3D Food printing: What options the new technology offers

We walk into the restaurant. The modern atmosphere is reflected in a unique and almost futuristic interior design. A digital menu on the table shows us the various dishes in a picture gallery, providing the most important information at a glance. With just a click we can obtain further details about the ingredients used and also learn something about the local producers. As a starter we choose small cubes of dough in geometrical perfection, from the middle of which dainty plants and mushrooms sprout. Our main course consists of traditional pasta in the form of beautiful rose blossoms with a classic tomato sauce. The idea of the rose-blossom pasta is mine. Before our holiday I found a digital 3D model on the Internet and emailed it to the restaurant. My beloved was amazed and absolutely thrilled – my surprise was thus evidently a great success. As a dessert we ordered a miniature copy of the Coliseum of Rome in chocolate – after all, we are spending our holiday in the Holy City. When we leave, the restaurant owner gives us a little present – a fruit gum message with the fragrance of Calabrian bergamot. It tells us once again “Grazie Mille” for our visit.

This is how reports of restaurant experiences might read in the future, when both parts of the inventory and individual dishes or complete menus come out of the 3D printer. The elements of this scenario can be realised in practice already today.

The opening of the first 3D printing restaurant in London in July 2016 made it possible to show the holistic implementation of such a concept. The event catering sector can already look forward to further developments in the coming years. The concept was presented at the 3D Food Printing Conference in Venlo in April 2016, when scientists, founders of start-ups and interested parties met in the Netherlands for the second time to discuss future possible applications of 3D food printing in business, the catering trade and private households.

Scientific research papers on 3D food printing have been available already for around ten years. Publications to date have focused on the selection of suitable foods and on optimisation measures to achieve greater stability in further processing steps (Lipton et al., 2015; Soares & Forkes, 2014; Gong et al., 2014; Southerland et al., 2011; Lipton et al., 2010; Cohen et al., 2009; Periard et al., 2007). More recent research work has addressed personalised 3D food printing on the basis of biometric data (Lipton et al., 2015) and the effects of 3D food printer use on suppliers and traders in the stationary retail trade (Jia et al., 2016).

ASTM International has defi ned the designation “Additive Manufacturing” as the overall term for additive production methods in international language usage. However, in everyday language the term 3D printing is frequently used.

From the digital 3D model via the layered structure to the fi nished object – the same process steps are carried out in 3D food printing as in industrial 3D printing (Figure 1).

The essential difference is thus simply the use of foodstuffs as source material for the 3D printing operation. The properties of the selected foods can be altered as regards their form, colour, texture and taste in order to create new and individual products. First of all a 3D model is designed on the computer with a CAD program. The 3D model is then exported to the .stl (Standard Triangulation Language) fi le format. Here the original CAD model consisting of dots is covered with a surface (triangulation). In the next step the 3D model is dismantled into the individual print layers and the required printing parameters are defi ned. The “G-code fi le” containing all relevant information about the object to be printed is transferred to the printer. With the transfer of information from the G-code fi le, the 3D printer receives its orders such as, for example, output pressure, output quantity, movement coordinates and movement speed of the print head. The production method used for both industrial 3D printing and 3D food printing depends on the nature of the source materials.

The EU project PERFORMANCE (PERsonalised FOod using Rapid MAnufacturing for the Nutrition of Elderly Con sumErs) sees 3D food printing as a key technology in a holistic and personalised supply chain that is tailored to the individual food requirements of elderly persons and persons with chewing and swallowing diffi culties (Figure 5).

Five EU Member States and 14 cooperation partners are participating in the project which is being funded with altogether three million Euro. Visually attractive preparation of the meals from the 3D printer is just as essential a project requirement as satisfying personal preferences and adapting products to individual nutrient needs. The basis for this is the Smoothfood concept in which high-value and natural foods are boiled and puréed. The puréed foods are subsequently prepared on the plate with a 3D printer. It is possible to enrich them with vitamins, mineral substances and trace elements, as well as to adapt portion sizes, textures or special diet forms individually. The costs per plate cannot yet be quantifi ed specifi cally at present, but the concept will probably not be cost-effi cient for implementation in individual institutions. The PERFORMANCE project is therefore designed for production and delivery by a central and regional enterprise.

3D Systems is one of the best-known competitors in the 3D printing industry. In January 2014 the fi rm announced a partnership with The Hershey Company, one of the world’s largest chocolate manufacturers. Their joint goal in future is to develop and realise innovative ideas in the fi eld of 3D food printing. That same year a chocolate printer, the CocoJet, was presented and this has since been used in Hershey’s Chocolate World to print individual chocolate forms for visitors on request. The ChefJet and the ChefJet Pro are further developments by 3D Systems. In October 2015 the company opened an innovative experimental kitchen in Los Angeles, the Culinary Lab. Chefs and barkeepers can already gather initial experience with the ChefJet Pro there. The culinary innovation centre will also offer events, symposia and workshops on 3D food printing in order to enable experience sharing and to drive further development.

Wegrzyn et al. (2012) see a concept for the future above all in personalised diets. The focus is on producing foods on the basis of individual dietary requirements. 3D food printing will in future account for a substantial share of personalised diet development and production for Lipson & Kurman (2014, p. 154 f.) too. The authors see a further target group in the followers of the Quantified-Self movement – people who are interested in their own biometric data. Technical aids such as fitness bracelets and associated apps record the data and assist in evaluation. With continuous tracking it is possible to observe one’s own health status and a large number of biometric data can already surveyed today. Starting from advancing development in this field, 3D food printers would in future be able to determine the nutrient requirements of an individual automatically and print the next ideal meal. Both the EU PERFORMANCE project and current research work by Lipton et al. (2015) make it clear just how interesting and relevant this topic is.

One group of 32 students working for a Master’s Degree, chiefly in the fields of nutritional sciences and food economics, also participated in a written survey oriented to the guideline-supported interviews, the results of which thus flowed additionally into the qualitative analysis. The group had also participated in the sensory analysis prior to answering the questions so that in this way they would acquire understanding of 3D food printing. Given the small scope of the sample, the statements by the interviewees and the group of students are only representative to a limited extent, but they provide a good first impression from the perspective of potential consumers.

The interviewees had difficulty in imagining the use of a 3D food printer in private households at the present time. High purchase prices and a lack of individual added value are the essential reasons for this. According to Perrea et al. (2015), a disproportionately high price can have a negative effect on the benefit perceived. The technology would be interesting for the participants, but above all for the creation of personal gifts, personalised greetings, or decoration of cupcakes, cakes or tarts. Playful preparation of healthy food for children, such as fruit and vegetable purées in the form of animal figures, is also conceivable. Procurement and follow-on costs, hygiene and cleaning possibilities, as well as the quality of the printed results are key factors in a potential decision to buy. At the same time hygiene and cleaning opportunities as well as the quality of the printed products are felt to be possible problems in use. From the perspective of the participants, operation should be intuitive in order to facilitate the first steps in 3D food printing and ensure optimal printing results. However, there were only few reservations regarding the technology or the printed foods. Yet pre-fabricated products from the trade are viewed more critically than self-prepared foods for filling the 3D printer.

A small scenario was developed for the thematic questions on use in the restaurant industry – ordering a chocolate dessert from the 3D printer in a restaurant. The interviewees showed a high level of acceptance for a 3D-printed dessert made of chocolate and would accept a relatively long waiting time after ordering. However, the low willingness to pay for a 3D-printed dessert despite the fact that this is an innovative approach to food preparation is striking. The participants readily confirm the added value as reflected in the experience. One explanation possibly lies in the nature of the group being questioned – students have less available income and therefore may display greater sensitivity to prices. The idea of bringing one’s own 3D model on a USB stick or mailing it to the restaurant in advance received very positive reactions. Suitable opportunities for this are for instance special occasions such as birthdays, weddings or company celebrations.

From the point of view of the participants, 3D food printers will still not be widespread in private households ten years from now. Product demonstrations in supermarkets, low procurement and follow-on costs, a high range of functions and added value by facilitating work are among the factors named as essential measures and criteria for driving dissemination. With classic product demonstrations at the point of sale, the food retail trade would also be in a position to expand its own range of goods and services and produce individual products directly or on order for customers. Individual branches could sharpen their profile against local competitors with strategic activities of this kind.

Concluding remarks

This overview has shown that good results can already be achieved with 3D food printing, with a range of different foods too. There appears to be no limit to the ideas for potential applications. At the same time, the technology will produce chances not only for large-scale companies, but above all for entrepreneurs and start-ups as well that can benefit from easier market access. Furthermore, initial studies show acceptance and openness of consumers for the new technology. Despite this, 3D food printing still has a long way to go before it reaches the famous replicator from Star Trek, which repeatedly serves as an example in this connection.

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Dr. Annette Schmelzle, DLG Competence Center Food, A.Schmelzle@DLG.org