3D printer makes cheese

Technology has advanced to the point where with just a 3D printer, you can create delicious cheese in no time.

Cheese is a delicious food that pairs well with just about anything – whether it’s paired with red wine or spread on toast. But it’s not the ideal medium for print – unless you’re a member of the nutrition science team.

Recently, a pioneering research team used 3D printing techniques to create a cheese that is softer, smoother, and more liquid than any cheese ever created before.

This cheese is an incredibly valuable example for engineers developing materials for 3D printing.

The team from the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences at University College Cork (UCC) conducted a series of tests to assess the texture, elasticity and meltability of the 3D-printed cheese.

The 3D printing material needs to be fluid enough to flow through a nozzle and settle to form a defined shape and structure. After melting for 12 minutes, the cheese had a temperature of 75°C (167°F). Next, the UCC team put it into a modified commercial 3D printer. The machine, which is normally used to print plastic, was fitted with a syringe to allow the melted cheese to be printed.

Cheese printed with a 3D printer. (Photo: Shutterstock).

The micro-structure of the food used for 3D printing can change when subjected to pressure, first when it is heated and then when it is squeezed through a nozzle.

The UCC team used a number of techniques to test how the 3D printing process affected the cheese. They compared the results of the 3D printed cheese to melted processed cheese. The team then cooled them in a cylinder, as well as another sample of cheese that had not been processed.

After testing, the researchers found that the 3D-printed cheese was 45-49% softer than the untreated cheese. They also found that the 3D-printed cheese was slightly darker in color, more elastic, and more fluid when melted. Even though the new cheese melted at the same temperature as the untreated cheese. This was due to changes in the cheese’s protein network.

The inspiration for the experiment came from a cheese maker who wondered: Could cheese be used as a raw material in kitchens equipped with 3D printers in the not-too-distant future?

"This is a forward-thinking question that I'm very excited about," Alan Kelly, a professor at UCC in Ireland and one of the study's authors, told Live Science. "We tried many different approaches and different types of cheese, but in the end we found that processed cheese was the best choice."

Dr Kelly and his colleagues are experimenting with other dairy products on the 3D printer. “We’re currently combining different milk proteins to make a new product,” Dr Kelly said. “It could be a high-protein snack. From there, we’re designing recipes that are best suited to the 3D printer and that work best.”

“Although we are still in the early stages of developing different food systems, creating food using 3D printers is really exciting. There is a lot of potential for this industry to explore and improve. However, we still want foods prepared this way to retain the same taste as when they are prepared in the conventional way,” Mr. Kelly added.

According to Khoahoc.tv