Canada Flag United States Flag
Speak to an Expert Careers

‘Snack to the future!’ 3D printing concept promises ‘fully edible ecosystem’, including the soil

From BakeryAndSnacks.com

A food and concept designer who designed a snack concept as a ‘fully edible ecosystem’ using 3D printing says she wants to show that lab-produced food can be natural, healthy and sustainable.

Freelance food and concept designer Chloé Rutzerveld recently graduated from Eindhoven University of Technology with a degree in Industrial Design, and has made headlines around the world in recent months, for her 2014 3D food printing project Edible Growth. Using this technology she has created the concept for a snack product comprising multiple layers – with an outer shell of dough or pasta and spores, seeds, yeast and ‘edible soil’ on the inside.

Rutzerveld describes this “future food concept” as a fully edible ecosystem created with living organisms, where the base of the snack is printed by a 3D printer and gradually develops into a finished dish. Her concept involves printing the food’s layers are printed using a bespoke 3D file; within five days the plants and fungi mature and the yeast ferments – turning the solids inside the snack into liquid.

“After the product has been printed, the consumer takes it home, and within three to five days it will develop towards a complete dish that contains all the nutrients the body needs,” Rutzerveld says.

“Just like Rochefort cheese, the intensity of its taste, smell and the whole eating experience increases over time.” Depending on their preference, the consumer can decide when to eat the snack.

Read the full article here.