Spanish startup Novameat is adding cultured meat to the list of ingredients it is using to 3D print cuts of non-animal meat.
Historically, the company has used only plant-based ingredients to 3D prints steaks and pork. But during his demonstration at the Smart Kitchen Summit today, Novameat CEO, Giuseppe Scionti, shared that his company has protoyped 3D printing hybrid meats that use plant-based ingredients for scaffolding together with cells from cultivated meat.
Scionti showed off how Novameat’s technology works at SKS by printing a plant-based steak in real time. The 3D printer holds a plant protein mixture that is extruded in a way that mimics the texture and appearance of animal protein. Right now the process takes long time, Scionti’s SKS steak was started before his half hour talk and was not finished by the time he was done.
Novameat is working towards speeding that process up, initially to a point where it could work in restaurants. Scionti laid out a vision where people could customize the ingredients that go into their protein mixture to have the restaurant create a customized steak on the spot.
Novameat had some pre-3D printed plant-based steaks on hand for its demo (see the video below). And while they were a little hard to completely see because of lighting and the nature of streaming video, the bits of steak did indeed cook and cut apart like steak.
3D printing could wind up being an important part of the meal creation process in the not-too-distant future. 3D printing and micro-extrusion allows for the creation of foods with specific layers of fat and protein. Plus, as noted earlier, they can be the vehicle for constructing truly customized foods.
While we write about the future of food all the time here at The Spoon, seeing a 3D printer in action like we did today really did give attendees a sci-fi like peek into what’s ahead for our meals.
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