3D printers produce cheese that tastes like a real taste

Technology developed to the point that with just a 3D printer, you were able to create delicious and time-consuming cheeses.

Cheese is a delicious dish, easy to combine with any dish - whether it is used with red wine or spread on a piece of toast. But it is not the ideal material for use in print - unless you are a member of the nutrition scientists group.

Recently, a pioneering research group used 3D printing to create a softer, smoother and liquid cheese than all previously produced cheeses.

This type of cheese is an extremely valuable example for engineers who are developing materials for 3D printing.

The team from the University of Cork's School of Food and Nutrition Science (UCC) conducted a series of tests to evaluate the texture, elasticity and melting of 3D printed cheese.

3D printing materials need enough liquid to flow through a nozzle and settle down to form a definite shape and structure. After 12 minutes, the cheese has a temperature of 75 ° C (167 ° F). Next, the UCC team added it to an adjusted commercial 3D printer. This machine, often used for plastic printing, is now fitted with a syringe to allow printing of melted cheese.

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

Micro-structure of food used for 3D printing may change under pressure, the first time when it is heated and then when it is squeezed through the nozzle.

The UCC team used a number of techniques to check the level of 3D printing effect on cheese. They compared 3D cheese print results with melted cheeses. The team then cooled them in a cylinder, as well as another untreated cheese.

After the test, the researchers found that 3D printed cheese was softer than the untreated cheese to 45 - 49%. They also found that 3D printed cheese was a bit darker, more elastic and loose when melted. Although this new cheese melts at the same temperature as the untreated cheeses. The cause of this is due to changes in cheese protein networks.

The inspiration for the experiment comes from a cheese maker. He wondered: Can cheese be used as a raw material in kitchens equipped with 3D printers in the near future?

Alan Kelly - Professor at UCC in Ireland and one of the authors of the study, told Live Science: "This is a question ahead of time that makes me very excited. We tried a lot. different ways and types of cheeses, but in the end we found that processed cheeses are the best choice ".

Dr. Kelly and his colleagues are testing other types of dairy products on 3D printers. Dr. Kelly said: "Currently, we are combining a variety of milk proteins to make a new product. This can be a high protein snack. From the basics, we will set Design recipes to best suit 3D printers and let it work most efficiently ".

"Although we're only in the early stages of processing different food systems, creating 3D food is really interesting. The industry has a lot of potential to explore. However, we still hope that processed foods with this pathway can retain the same flavor as when processed in the usual way, ' Kelly added.

The whole study was published in Science Direct.