3D Printing Food

[carlkeigley]

Food from insects and algae

When Star Trek becomes reality: NASA to build a 'universal food synthesizer' to create 3D food printer made from insects and algae! | Mail Online

[Francesca Knowles]

So...if I get one of these I can forget about packing groceries for my upcoming trip, right?

Sweet!

Francesca

[David Tilston]

Insects and algae! Yumm, my favorite!
Like the shape is important.

[Francesca Knowles]

Insects...algae....synthesizing biomatter into food...this is ringing a bell......wait a minute......



Francesca

[KevinPete]

Francesca,

I was going to post something about SG. I'll skip the bugs and just have a salad, thanks.

[carlkeigley]

Back in the 60's there was a book called "666".
Very, very interesting. It went along the lines of solent green, etc.
Thing is, I read the book and have seen a lot of it come to pass.
It was written by a Jewish author, but I can't recall his name.

[Brian B-P]

The 3D printing approach is interesting, and trendy. The article misses the point that the idea of a Star Trek replicator is to create material (such as food) from energy; in contrast, the printer is just a way re-form material.

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

So...if I get one of these I can forget about packing groceries for my upcoming trip, right?

No, you would still need to have the food, you just carry it in generic bulk form... like carrying flour and making bread - they have high-tech machines to do that, already available in every department store.

When I followed the link, I noticed that a leading story in the sidebar of other "news" was about a model whose breasts were exposed in a "wardrobe malfunction"; this gives some context to the credibility of the Daily Mail as an information source.

Originally Posted by David Tilston

Insects and algae! Yumm, my favorite!
Like the shape is important.

Shape, colour, and texture are all important to the enjoyment of food. For instance, we make wheat flour into pasta, rather than just spooning it down as a sludge... and there are dozens of pasta shapes.

The proposal is to use a 3D printer to combine, form, and heat the raw materials... that's pretty much what any cook does to turn basic groceries into meals; fortunately, most cooks have more than a couple of ingredients to work with, and neither are insects or algae!

[Donna D.]

Whether you know it or not, you're already eating insects (especially if you eat candy bars) and seaweed, etc. is present in non-ice cream milkshakes.

I've had a breakfast bar a time or two and thought I was eating a hockey puck!

Frankly, not knowing and then eating genetically engineered food by that "M" group scares me more.

[Spanke]

Francesca,

You are one Warped Puppy!

But I like it!



Spanke

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Whether you know it or not, you're already eating insects (especially if you eat candy bars) and seaweed, etc. is present in non-ice cream milkshakes.

Sure, but little flavour nuggets are one thing and pure bugs are another - even though I have had bugs deliberately in the past. I think what bothers me most is that while we butcher larger animals and choose which parts to eat, bugs seem to be consumed in complete form... even the parts one would probably not consciously choose to consume.

Seaweed is pretty common - a basic component of rolled sushi, for instance. It's not algae, though.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I've had a breakfast bar a time or two and thought I was eating a hockey puck!

Probably the ones sold right beside the "rocks and twigs" breakfast cereal!

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Spanke

Francesca,

You are one Warped Puppy!

But I like it!



Spanke

Why, thank you, Kind Sir!

I think it my mission to go through life putting the "tasteless" in "tastelessness"!

Francesca

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Seaweed is pretty common - a basic component of rolled sushi, for instance. It's not algae, though.

True Brian, but spirulina (sp) has been a food source for years. It's a blue-green algae found in some protein powders. It's not pond scum, which often folks think of when someone mentions algae.

I feel fortunate to have the money available to live abundantly. A big portion of our world isn't nearly as lucky. I can walk to Safeway, whip out my checkbook and buy whatever I want for dinner. Others are literally starving to death. There are plenty of foods in the world I wouldn't eat. Everything from dog to liver. I'd rather eat algae.

I think it will be interesting to see how this all plays out in our future.

BTW: I think some folks that are in jail probably think they're the test subjects with food called Mystery Meat and Glazed Wham.

[Francesca Knowles]

The seaweed used to wrap sushi is an "algae". Most commonly of the genus "Porphyra", of which several species are used.

In case anyone cares, of course.

Francesca

[kirkman]

"Live Long And Prosper"

[stevebaz]

as long as it comes out like spam its OK.

[David Tilston]

What one finds edible is very dependent on how hungry you are, and what is "normal" for your culture. My mom taught English in China for five years. Some observations she made were very educational for me.
Though where she was bordered a jungle. she never heard birds. I assume they had all been consumed. She asked, at the restaurant she was eating, if there was any dog or cat in what she was eating. The reply was "Oh no! You pay more for that".
As a Chinese friend of mine told me, if it has it's back to the sun, it is food, (worms are out). He described finding a nest of baby mice when he was a little boy. "Like popcorn", he said.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

True Brian, but spirulina (sp) has been a food source for years. It's a blue-green algae found in some protein powders.

Good info. I'm just saying seaweed isn't much like what we normally think of as algae - the seaweed is more palatable.

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

The seaweed used to wrap sushi is an "algae". Most commonly of the genus "Porphyra", of which several species are used.

Excellent! I learned something today.

I think the point of algae and 3D printing is to use a bulk food source which is easy to produce and has little form of its own - and is not appetizing by itself - to produce a variety of different things to each, just as wheat flour is used to make various pasta and baked goods.