3D fruit printer fabricates existing fruit or hybrid fruits

Instead of printing plastic knick-knacks and other useless statuettes that eventually go into the garbage, one UK-based design company called Dovetailed is developing a 3D fruit printer that harnesses the molecular-gastronomy technique of spherification to create solid three-dimensional liquid droplets that taste like existing fruits, or brand-new concoctions you make yourself. The printer is aimed at chefs or culinary enthusiast looking to experiment with flavor, texture, size, and shape. Best of all, no special knowledge of molecular-gastronomy is needed.

The 3D fruit printer debuted earlier in May at the Tech Food Hack event in Cambridge, an experimental hack-athon where like-minded foodies came together to rethink and improve the dining experience. 
 
The process of spherification was originally conceived by Unilever in the 1950s, but only gained momentum in the last decade of culinary art. “We have been thinking of making this for a while. It’s such an exciting time for us as an innovation lab. Our 3D fruit printer will open up new possibilities not only to professional chefs but also to our home kitchens – allowing us to enhance and expand our dining experiences. We have re-invented the concept of fresh fruit on demand,” said Dovetailed founder, Vaiva Kalnikaite. 

Dovetailed has not disclosed the exact process of how their printer formulates the spherification, but it likely involves combining fruit juice or puree with sodium alginate and then dripping the mixture into a bowl of cowl calcium chloride to transform the droplets into sphere-like solids. The resulting spheres can pressed or mixed together using a blender to form any desired shape. Dr. Gabriel Villar, Chief Inventor at Dovetailed, adds, “With our novel printing technique, you can not only re-create existing fruits, but also invent your own creations. The taste, texture, size and shape of the fruit can all be customized.”

Via Dovetailed.co