Researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed a new 3D printer that produces food layer with the help of graphs and artificial intelligence (AI). The 3D printer can create complex edible structures and precise infrared heating to maximize product quality and security.
This combination helps to overcome some significant defects in other existing automated techniques for the production of food, including problems with food safety and the general need for technical expertise. The former is a major concern, since current 3D printer tend to create food in two significant steps.
The first includes the extrudation of a cold food paste to produce the object. This is usually transferred to cooking and sterilization into an oven or fryer. This approach often leads to deformed forms and increased contamination risks when the food moves between machines. However, the new 3D printer integrates these separate steps into one because it can build and cook the food at the same time.
Precision and security
The simultaneous structure and cooking is reached using the infrared heating of the 3D printer made of laser-induced graphs (LIG). According to the researchers, this ultra -thin heating element provides precise temperature control, whereby food layers on the surface 278.6 ° f (105 ° C) maintain at least 221 ° f on the sides during the entire printing process.
The printer consumes only 14 watts of power-one fraction of the 1,000 to 2,000 watts, which are consumed by conventional stoves and air fryers. The team tested its new printer with a special biscuit dough on a starch base. When the printer extruded every new layer of dough, the infrared heating cooked immediately.
The process also enables food to maintain its shape and at the same time destroy harmful bacteria. As the team emphasizes, the immediate cooking prevents burglary and deformation when printed foods are waiting to be baked.
The analysis of the 3D printer showed that it has superior properties for conventional cooking methods. Using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), the research team found that the infrared samples had maintained a consistent internal structure without dramatic swelling in oven -baked objects.
The X -ray analysis also showed that the end product had uniform porosity in the entire food, which indicates a thorough cooking without affecting structural integrity. In addition, Comsol simulations confirmed an even heat distribution and showed that heat prevented only 1-2 mm from the upper layer by penetrating and over cooking the lower layers.
Different applications
From the perspective of food safety, the new technology showed impressive suppression of bacterial growth after cooking. Conventional cooked foods have a considerable bacterial growth after only 48 hours.
However, the new infrared objects only had 0-6 bacterial colonies at 100 ° C, compared to over 200 in oven-baked and air-fried samples. This improvement results from the immediate high temperature treatment of each printed layer.
The team notes that the effects of the new technology go beyond simple food printing. The combination of AI design tools and integrated cooking functions, for example, opens up opportunities for automated commercial food production.
The energy efficiency and the compact size of the new 3D printing system also make it practical for restaurants and bakeries that want to offer tailor -made foods without extensive technical training.
The researchers also present themselves a special value in the areas of healthcare, in which precise control over ingredients and portions is of crucial importance. For this purpose, the technology could take over the automated production of specialized diets and at the same time ensure consistent quality and security.