The Future of Food

About one in six people suffer from dysphagia, a medical term that means difficulty swallowing. Symptoms can include pain, gagging and an inability or reluctance to eat, and while the condition can develop at any age, it’s most common amongst older adults.

Dysphagia can lead to weight loss and other negative health outcomes resulting from inadequate nutrition, which is a concern for anybody with a diminished appetite, such as seniors or people who are receiving treatment for cancer.

This challenge is one of the reasons why a team of researchers at Carleton University, led by Food Science professor Farah Hosseinian, are using a 3D printer to explore a new frontier: high-tech food manufacturing.

Their project involves combining layers of proteins, grains, fruits, vegetables and sugars, or various combinations thereof, to make food that’s more palatable and pleasing to people with dysphagia or other eating related ailments. Most of the work is taking place in Carleton’s Food Design Lab, a glassed-in space adjacent to what looks like a conventional kitchen in the university’s new Abilities Living Laboratory (ALL).

The goal of the 3D printed food research meshes with ALL’s overarching mission — to design, prototype and test innovations for people with disabilities that support full inclusion in public and cultural life. Eventually, volunteers (for instance, a group from a local retirement home) will be able to come to the lab and sample some of the team’s culinary creations.

“We’ll have the ability to experiment and create nutritious foods with different visual, textural, structural and olfactory attributes,” says Hosseinian.

“Food is something that’s important from the time you’re born until the end of your life. We all need to eat, and when we can’t, it has a significant impact on our quality of life.”

Experimenting with Ingredients and Texture

Hosseinian, a biochemist, began her career doing research on how to derive value-added products from agri-food waste. For instance, some of the “leftovers” from winemaking, such as phytochemicals — compounds found in plants — could be beneficial because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

This led to a collaboration with an Ottawa-based food manufacturing company that produced frozen purées for hospitals across Canada. A common issue with purées is that when they’re heated, they can become too runny, which can cause choking.

One solution, according to Hosseinian, is to experiment with ingredients and texture to create safe and nutritious alternatives.

“It’s important to develop modified foods that are suitable for populations that have trouble eating,” she says.

“We can work on the physical characteristics of various foods and add things like dietary fibre and probiotics.”

The 3D printer that will be set up in her lab this spring will be a food-grade machine. Instead of using ink, edible resins or pastes made from a mix of ingredients — powders combined with water and/or oil — are dispensed through the nozzle. Companies are already demonstrating 3D printed pizza and other foods at tech trade shows; taste tests are promising.

Carleton researchers will be using other advanced equipment in their lab, including a texture analyzer — basically, a probe that’s lowered into a substance — that can determine particle size and particle size distribution.

“We need to understand the physical and rheological characteristics of the foods that we make because this will affect their sensory qualities and mouthfeel,” says Hosseinian.

“Part of our lab may resemble a kitchen, but there’s a lot of physics, engineering and chemistry taking place beneath the surface.”

3D Printed Meals for Astronauts

Beyond producing food for people who need help or encouragement to eat, this research has other applications. NASA and other space agencies are looking into 3D printing as a way to provide sustenance to astronauts, for example.

High school cafeterias could be equipped with 3D printers, suggests Hosseinian, serving a population that eats a lot but doesn’t necessarily make the healthiest choices.

Long-term care homes could also have 3D printers. A resident craving a veggie pizza could make a meal within minutes, at the touch of a button. Manufacturing baby food or pet food are also possibilities.

“What we’re really talking about is a future food system,” says Hosseinian, who predicts that some of these technologies could be in use within a couple years.

“Our goal is to make food that’s safe to eat, more appealing and more nutritious. Everybody should enjoy eating.”