3-D Printable Food Gets Funding From NASA 242
cervesaebraciator writes
"According to Quartz, '[Anjan Contractor's] Systems & Materials Research Corporation just got a six month, $125,000 grant from NASA to create a prototype of his universal food synthesizer. But Contractor, a mechanical engineer with a background in 3-D printing, envisions a much more mundane — and ultimately more important — use for the technology. He sees a day when every kitchen has a 3-D printer, and the earth's 12 billion people feed themselves customized, nutritionally-appropriate meals synthesized one layer at a time, from cartridges of powder and oils they buy at the corner grocery store. Contractor's vision would mean the end of food waste, because the powder his system will use is shelf-stable for up to 30 years, so that each cartridge, whether it contains sugars, complex carbohydrates, protein or some other basic building block, would be fully exhausted before being returned to the store.' No word yet on whether anyone other than the guy trying to sell the technology thinks it'll make palatable food."
What about.. (Score:4, Interesting)
I hope it has a way to print a decent texture.. I would prefer not to live off mush.
Who is this for? (Score:5, Interesting)
Right. (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:starving kids in africa and cambodia... (Score:4, Interesting)
The body is not built for processed foods (Score:2, Interesting)
Although it can be nutritionally appropriate, it may still not be good for the body. I am not a biologist, but I don't believe that the body is built for finely processed food. I am assuming that there is some research correlating highly processed/refined foods and the some of the common ailments in the western world.
A great example I have seen showing processed vs non-processed foods is to simply put the food in a bowl of water. A lot of processed food will within a matter of minutes puff up to a multiple of their size, and when stirred will simply break up into a liquid solution. Natural (unprocessed, even minimally processed) foods will generally stay together for a lot longer.
Give it a couple of centuries, and we'll see how the human gut and digestive system evolve. Oh wait, we'll have medical systems to prevent natural selection, so we're going to be co-dependently evolving with our technology.