Now, you can 3D print your food

A Spanish start-up has developed a revolutionary new machine that can 3D print a variety of foods - from pasta to pizza - in different shapes.

The food printing apparatus is loaded with any mixture of choice such as dough and it builds up the food layer by layer. The device, called 'Foodini' squirts out anything from pizza or pasta to cakes in a variety of shapes - from dinosaurs to spelling out names with letters. Different ingredients are built up in layers following selection of a design on the device's control panel.

Eat your hearts out

The machine is expected to go on sale next year and will be priced at 835 pounds, with capsules of fresh ingredients sold separately, the 'Telegraph' reported. The Barcelona-based company Natural Machines which built 'Foodini' claims the machine combines "technology, food, art and design".

It suggests parents could use the machine to print messages on cakes or for parents to design food for their children in shapes they enjoy. Lynette Kucsma, co-founder of the firm said they were aiming their product at families and restaurants.

The technology, however, has many limitations. It cannot actually cook the food - you will have to transfer any 3D printed creations to the oven or the pan - and it only works with a single ingredient at a time, the report said. It may also help large manufacturers to make instant meals in the printer capsules.

PTI