From its very beginnings, technology’s purpose has been to advance and supplement our capabilities. Today, there are examples of tech fulfilling that role in everything from agriculture to manufacturing and everything in between. The advancement of 3D-printing is just one of the many, many ways that this trend of technology simplifying our basic needs has recently shown its value. Let’s discuss how the development of 3D-printed food could benefit the human race in various ways.
How Can 3D-Printed Food Be Seen as Beneficial?
There are actually a few ways that 3D printing food offers advantages, including the following:
Food Can Be Customized (in More Ways Than One)
Naturally, 3D printing really opens up the possibilities in terms of how food can look. Instead of a stylized meal being created with an intricate structure by hand, a cook or chef can use a 3D printer to help bring their vision into reality. Of course, this is just the beginning of how this technology can be used to make food more specific. The “ink” that makes up 3D-printed food can easily be fortified with various vitamins and nutrients, or even made to have greater or fewer calories based on the specific needs of the person eating it.
Relatedly, Food Can Be Made More Accessible
From dietary preferences and ethics to medical restrictions to food scarcity, there are various ways that 3D-printing foodstuffs can make foods more widely accessible than they are currently:
- Some people are afflicted with medical conditions that make swallowing food more difficult, requiring their foods to be preprocessed and resultantly less enjoyable. However, this pureed food has successfully been 3D-printed back into a more pleasant texture that is still safe for those with dysphagia.
- Whether it’s for ethical reasons or health reasons, many people will refrain from eating meat…despite enjoying the taste. Research has yielded success in creating plant-based meat substitutes that successfully replicate the smell, taste, and texture of true meat-based products.
- Likewise, rarer and more expensive cuts of meat—like Wagyu beef, for example—can be 3D-printed from biomaterials to make them more readily available through CAD modeling replicating their makeup.
- Alternative, more sustainable sources of various nutrients (in other words, crickets and uncommon plants) can be utilized to make more appetizing food products through 3D-printing, potentially making them more appealing to the public at large.
Food Waste Can Be Minimized
As compared to traditional food procurement methods, 3D-printing is much more precise in its measurements, helping prevent any waste in the cooking process. Not only that, but food that would otherwise be wasted can be repurposed and upcycled.
Technology Can Make a Difference Everywhere…What Might Your Business Accomplish?
Reach out to Data Net to learn more about the IT solutions that we can help your business implement to help make these kinds of positive differences in your operations. Give us a call at (760) 466-1200 today.
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