A duo of researchers fromZhejiang University, China, has developed a number of new edible plant-based gel materials that can be used to 3D print meat-like foods.
The 3D printable meat alternatives contain ingredients such as soy protein, pea protein, and wheat gluten, boasting the nutritional value of real meat without the associated health and sustainability costs. Interestingly, the most successful formulations also featured cocoa butter as a component, which is a fat extracted from the cocoa bean.
该小组研究了蛋白质，淀粉和藻酸钠对材料挤出性和打印精度的影响，并报告了结果ACS食品科学技术。
3D printing and plant-based meat alternatives
So why 3D print food in the first place? 3D printing food can give rise to personalized meals, as the technology provides the control necessary to carefully select the amount of protein, sugar, vitamins, and minerals we want in a particular meal. While this may seem unnecessary to the average person living in the 21st century, these capabilities are still useful for those with special dietary requirements, those serving in the armed forces in remote locations, and the elderly.
With topics such as sustainability, animal ethics, and healthy eating gaining prominence in mainstream media, we’ve also seen a huge rise in the availability of plant-based meat alternatives.
这场“假肉”革命倾向于依靠大豆，小麦或豌豆等成分，以维持真实物质的质地和营养。尤其是大豆提供了极好的蛋白质来源，同时消除了大多数常规红肉中发现的胆固醇和饱和脂肪。
The Zhejiang team wanted to combine these worlds, fusing the personalization benefits of 3D printing with the health and sustainability advantages of meat alternatives.
可可黄油，Tween-80和藻酸钠
Kicking off the experiment, the scientists initially formulated several soy and wheat-based gels for 3D printing. The mixtures were evaluated based on their printability and final structural integrity (how well they held their shape).
该研究的结果表明，在达到出色的3D打印性能时，添加适当量的可可黄油，Tween-80（乳化剂）和藻酸钠是必不可少的。
Tween-80和藻酸钠对于控制凝胶的质地至关重要。另一方面，热敏感的可可脂可用于在高温打印过程中提供流动性，从而使凝胶更加挤压。该成分在室温下返回时还提供了坚固，从而使印刷结构可以更好地保持其形状。
自然，麸质和大豆基凝胶不适合对这些成分过敏的个体，因此还开发了许多基于PEA的3D打印材料。不幸的是，该团队发现这些替代方案太软而无法打印，但仍然认为这项工作有助于验证一种新方法来开发植物性肉类的替代品。
Despite its infancy, there are already several companies operating in the food 3D printing space. Earlier this month,Redefine Meat推出了它New-Meat range of plant-based 3D printed meat productsto high-end restaurants throughout Europe. Having向选定的餐厅推出了新的杂货系列in Israel earlier in the year, this latest milestone by the company reportedly marks the first time high-end restaurants will offer plant-based whole cuts as part of their menus.
别处，MeaTech，一家以色列食品技术公司，专注于3D生物打印真正的肉类产品，最近印刷了3.67 oz (104 gram) cultivated steakat its lab in Ness Ziona, Israel. Shifting gears, the steak is composed entirely of real fat and muscle cells, meaning it doesn’t rely on any meat-free alternatives like soy or pea protein.
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Featured image shows a 3D printed ‘fake meat’ structure featuring soy, wheat, and cocoa butter. Photo via Zhejiang University。
