Biotta Wellness Week
This cake comes from a 3D printer
24-3-2023
Translation: machine translated
For the first time, US researchers have printed a cake with seven ingredients and then baked it with a laser beam. The piece of cake doesn't look very appetising. But the researchers were also interested in something else.
"The Cake is a lie" was the title of the game classic "Portal" from 2007. In it, the protagonist is promised a piece of cake if she passes a series of increasingly life-threatening tests. The cake promised by the AI test manager GladOS doesn't actually exist.
Nutella instead of filament
This cake, which researchers at Columbia University have produced, is also a lie. It did not come from a bakery, but from a 3D printer. It was "loaded" with seven ingredients: graham crackers, peanut butter, Nutella, banana puree, strawberry jam, cherry sauce and icing.
Finally, a laser "baked" the cake lid to stabilise it. The result is the misshapen piece in the picture above. It took several attempts before it even looked like this. Again and again, the piece collapsed or ingredients leaked out. The failed attempts are highly entertaining, you can watch them in this video.
Healthy food from the printer should soon be possible
The unhealthy piece of sugary cake was an experiment. In the future, 3D-printed food will certainly find applications. Balanced ingredients could be used to prepare meals tailored to specific needs. The research paper states that pureed food, for example, could be presented to patients in a more appealing way.
In addition, dishes from the 3D printer would allow precise control over ingredients and their nutritional values. The Biotta juice diet of the future could therefore be printed on you.
Today, food from the printer is only created in the lab, the piece of cake is a shapeless lie. At the end of the game "Portal", a moist Black Forest cake awaits the protagonist. Who knows, maybe the slice from the 3D printer will no longer be a lie in the future?
Source: Screenshot - Portal
Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.