数字烹饪时代来了？3D打印蛋糕“出炉”，色香味俱全
Researchers at Columbia University in New York have created a 3D printer that makes cheesecake, as reported by foreign media on March 21.
Until now, most 3D-printed foods have been made with uncooked ingredients, the researchers say. But in research published Tuesday in the journal npj Science of Food, the engineers describe how their 3D printer made a cheesecake from seven ingredients: graham cracker, peanut butter, Nutella, banana puree, strawberry jam, cherry drizzle, and frosting.
A retrofitted, off-the-shelf 3D-printer was used; the printing head could pick up any of the seven food "inks" to add to the slice, according to Jonathan Blutinger, the lead author of the study and an engineer at Columbia’s Creative Machines Lab in New York.
此外，蓝光激光器被用来使芝士蛋糕表面的全麦饼干浆变得金黄酥脆。
A blue laser was used to brown and crust the top surface of the graham cracker paste.
The final result, "tasted pretty sweet – in more ways than one," Bluntinger said.
布鲁廷格说：“我们选择打印这块芝士蛋糕，因为它是整个蛋糕的一部分，是一种可分享的甜点，人们对它有积极的联想，而且它通常是一种多层结构。尽管如此，我们没有在任何一个食材中加入 ‘芝士’，所以也许我们应该给它重新命名。”
"We chose to print a slice of cheesecake because it's a part of a larger cake, it's a shareable dessert, people have positive associations with it, and it's generally a layered structure," he said. "That being said, we didn't include 'cheese' in any one of the ingredients, so perhaps we should have renamed it."
“这款蛋糕是我们目前能展示的最好的东西，但3D打印还能做得更多，”布鲁廷格表示，“我们可以打印鸡肉、牛肉、蔬菜和奶酪。任何可以变成糊状、液体或粉末的东西。”
“The cheesecake is the best thing we can showcase right now, but the printer can do a whole lot more,” said Blutinger. “We can print chicken, beef, vegetables and cheese. Anything that can be turned into a paste, liquid or powder.”
研究团队认为，3D打印可以制作更加可定制化的食品，改善食品安全，也可以更轻松的控制食物的营养价值。
3D-printed food could make foods more customizable – and possibly more nutritious. “With more emphasis on food safety following the COVID-19 pandemic, food prepared with less human handling could lower the risk of foodborne illness and disease transmission," Bluntinger said in a press release describing the research.
美国佩斯大学营养与饮食学教授克里斯汀·库珀（Christen Cooper）则认为，“加工食品的低营养价值是我们面临的一个巨大问题。3D食品打印仍会生产加工食品，但对于一些人来说，能更好地控制和调整营养成分——即个性化营养。同时，这项技术可以模仿真实食物的形状，因此，可以将糊状食物制作成对吞咽障碍患者来说更具吸引力的食品。仅在美国就有数百万这样的患者。”
“We have an enormous problem with the low-nutrient value of processed foods,” Cooper said. “3D food printing will still turn out processed foods, but perhaps the silver lining will be, for some people, better control and tailoring of nutrition--personalized nutrition. It may also be useful in making food more appealing to those with swallowing disorders by mimicking the shapes of real foods with the pureed texture foods that these patients--millions in the U.S. alone--require.”
On every scale, from food manufacturers to restaurants and homes, 3D printers might be the next step in automation, removing more people from the preparation process.
“The vision is to have a food printer mixed with a laser cooker that can be a one-stop-shop sort of kitchen appliance. It’s your own personal digital chef.”
他还预计，餐厅将在未来几年内开始使用食品打印机，“用于制作数字美食以及为菜肴添加特别的食材附加品，以提高菜肴的档次或使菜肴更具美感。”
He expects restaurants will begin using food printers in the next few years, "for digital gastronomy and one-off food add-ons to class-up a dish or make something aesthetically appetizing."
布鲁廷格说，第一批3D食品打印机产品可能在未来五年左右推出，其价格可能会低于1,000美元。
When the first ones arrive, perhaps in five years or so, they will likely come in at less than $1,000, Bluntinger said.
来源：卫报，今日美国，Columbia Engineering，npj Science of Food
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