{"id":72,"date":"2013-12-31T21:11:42","date_gmt":"2014-01-01T03:11:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nano-blog.com\/?p=72"},"modified":"2022-09-02T13:21:40","modified_gmt":"2022-09-02T18:21:40","slug":"a-technology-coming-soon-to-nano-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.nano-blog.com\/?p=72","title":{"rendered":"A Technology Coming Soon to Nano \u2013 Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

In yesterday\u2019s blog, the topic of 3-D printing was raised.\u00a0 The blog finished with the promise that today we would cover the 3-D printing application to food.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t this the concept of the \u201cFood Replicators\u201d in Star Trek?\u00a0 Even if one could create food, wouldn\u2019t it require all types of material control to ensure the \u201cfood\u201d was safe?\u00a0 Is it even possible to create food through printing?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start simply.\u00a0 The picture below is different structures created from printing sugar [1].\u00a0 Sugar is a good material to work with 3-D printing due to the ability to be able to form it as long as there is a slight amount of moisture.\u00a0 These structures are impossible to make by etching sugar away from a block due to the inherent weakness of the sugar cube.<\/p>\n

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Okay, sugar is a simple construct, but it is a part of food that we use.\u00a0 So the next question is can anyone make \u201creal\u201d food that requires cooking or baking?\u00a0 The picture below is of a finished cake, which was baked, that has designs printed into the dough prior to being baked [2].<\/p>\n

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Chocolates have been done and can be formed in many different shapes.\u00a0 Other cakes have been created that only reveal the true design when they are cut and show letters imbedded within the cake.\u00a0 So the response is that is interesting, but how about the more difficult foods.\u00a0 The picture below is based on a new texture of corn dough developed by David Arnold of the International Culinary Centering using a technique created at Cornell University.\u00a0 The process makes the corn dough porous, which allows the oil in a hot fryer to reach within the object [3].<\/p>\n

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What does the future look like?\u00a0 This still is not the Food Replicator that Star Trek has.\u00a0 The answer is of course not, at least not yet.\u00a0 In March 2013, the Small Business Innovative Research award was given to Systems and Materials Research Consultancy in Austin Texas to continue development of the basic elements of such a system.\u00a0 The following description is from reference 4.<\/p>\n