Benefits associated with 3D printing of food

There are several potential benefits associated with 3D printing of food, for example:

- Customized nutrition: 3D printing offers the possibility to create personalized food tailored to the individual needs of a person, such a nutritional needs or allergies. (Sertoglu, 2022)
- Efficiency: 3D printing can make food production more efficient by allowing for customized food without unnecessary waste of ingredients. Nor the unnecessary waste of ingredients, 3D printing saves both time and energy when it comes to experimenting with different types of food dishes. It also helps in achieving perfection with less effort and less time. (2022) (Wong et al., 2022)
- Creativity: 3D printing offers new opportunities for creating unique shapes and textures of food that would otherwise not be possible. (2022)
- Reducing food waste: 3D printing can help reduce the amount of food waste by optimizing food production and preventing unsold ingredients from being thrown away. (Wong et al., 2022)
- Accessibility: 3D printing can make it easier to produce in remote areas or places where food is scarce, such as in developing countries or on space missions. (Enfield et al., 2022)

Of course, not all of the above mentioned points are applicable to restaurants. However, strengthening the creativity of chefs and reducing waste, or personalizing nutritional values to expand the product range for people with allergies, can offer enormous benefits to restaurants.

Sertoglu, K. (2022, 18 juli). Exploring how to make food more 3D printable for personalized nutrition. 3D Printing Industry. https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/exploring-how-to-make-food-more-3d-printable-for-personalized-nutrition-212515/

P. (2022, 26 september). 3D Printing and its Application Insights in Food Industry. FutureBridge. https://www.futurebridge.com/industry/perspectives-food-nutrition/3d-printing-and-its-application-insights-in-food-industry/

Wong, G. H. C., Pant, A., Zhang, Y., Chua, C. K., Hashimoto, M., Leo, C. H., & Tan, U. (2022). 3D food printing– sustainability through food waste upcycling. Materials Today: Proceedings, 70, 627–630. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2022.08.565

Enfield, R. E., Pandya, J. K., Lu, J., McClements, D. J., & Kinchla, A. J. (2022). The future of 3D food printing: Opportunities for space applications. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2022.2077299