Italian bioengineer Giuseppe Scionti from Spanish startup Novameat has invented the "world's first" 3D-printed meat-free steak made from vegetable proteins, which mimics the texture of beef.
Vegan ingredients such as rice, peas and seaweed, which provide the amino acids needed for a healthy diet, are turned into a food paste that is 3D-printed to form a raw, steak-like substance.
Despite an abundance of meat-free products already on the market that taste similar to animal meats, Scionti found that these are limited to imitation burgers, chicken nuggets or meatballs. None of the offerings reproduce a piece of "fibrous flesh" such as steak or chicken breast.
In an effort to reduce the impact of animal agriculture and to improve people's nutrition, the Milanese researcher set out to create a plant-based alternative to "fleshy" meat products. For his first prototype, Scionti mixed protein-rich ingredients with a paella colourant to form a bright red paste that can then be 3D-printed into a raw steak-like productBy combining tissue engineering and bio-printing with modern cooking methods, he created a vegan product that boasts the same consistency, appearance and nutritional properties as animal meat products.
3D printing allowed the scientist to generate complex, micro-structured tridimensional forms that he says are impossible to achieve using other techniques.
For his first prototype, Scionti mixed a limited amount of protein content with a pael...