Precision cooking for printed foods via multiwavelength lasers

Abstract

Additive manufacturing of food is a method of creating three-dimensional edible products layer-by-layer. While food printers have been in use since 2007, commercial cooking appliances to simultaneously cook and print food layers do not yet exist. A key challenge has been the spatially controlled delivery of cooking energy. Here, we explore precision laser cooking which offers precise temporal and spatial control over heat delivery and the ability to cook, broil, cut and otherwise transform food products via customized software-driven patterns, including through packaging. Using chicken as a model food, we combine the cooking capabilities of a blue laser (λ = 445 nm), a near-infrared (NIR) laser (λ = 980 nm), and a mid-infrared (MIR) laser (λ = 10.6 μm) to broil printed chicken and find that IR light browns more efficiently than blue light, NIR light can brown and cook foods through packaging, laser-cooked foods experience about 50% less cooking loss than foods broiled in an oven, and calculate the cooking resolution of a laser to be ~1 mm. Infusing software into the cooking process will enable more creative food design, allow individuals to more precisely customize their meals, disintermediate food supply chains, streamline at-home food production, and generate horizontal markets for this burgeoning industry.

Direct Ink Writing: A 3D Printing Technology for Diverse Materials

“…Moreover, advanced DIW techniques, such as laser-assisted food printing, have shown great capability in overcoming current challenges, including simplification in postprocessing steps like cooking, boiling, and baking. Utilizing a simple ink formulation of blended chicken, Blutinger et al [159] introduced a DIW technique that, for the first time prints, a food material while simultaneously cooking the printed structure with the use of a multi-wavelength laser cooker (Figure 6a-i,ii). The multiwavelength laser ensures foodsafe cooking temperatures and comprises a high-powered diode laser, along with a set of galvanometers.…”

“…[160] These materials are finding widespread technological application in structural, electrical, photonic, and biomedical sectors. Many of these [159] Copyright 2021, Springer Nature. b) Food design (left) for 3D printing and fabrication sample (right).…”

“…Reproduced under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution license. [ 159 ] Copyright 2021, Springer Nature. b) Food design (left) for 3D printing and fabrication sample (right).…”

“…(ii) Cooking step: a blue laser beam being directed by a set of mirror galvanometers to a raw sample of chicken. Reproduced under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution license [159]. Copyright 2021, Springer Nature.…”

Simple low-cost 3D metal printing via plastic skeleton burning

“…The range of new capabilities allows reconsidering conventional approaches in mechanics 2 – 4 , thermal management 5 , medicine 6 , robotics 7 , electronics 8 , 9 , and many others applied areas, e.g. 10 , 11 where novel architectures and material platforms can grant ever foreseen capabilities.…”