An exciting possibility for 3D-printed food is its ability to be customized. Inks can be formulated with extremely high precision to create foods with specific nutrient content for individual needs. Textures can also be modified so the food is easier to swallow. That’s according to a recent article on ASME.org
“Various foods, including pork, chicken, potatoes, pasta, and peas, are first cooked and then pureed before they are extruded and printed into recognizable shapes,” reports GE on its website. “3D printing allows for food presentations that are visually appealing and therefore appetizing.”
3D-printed food may have an impact on relieving hunger around the world, using abundant and easily sourced food types such as algae, which are rich in protein and antioxidants.
The reach of 3D-printed food is even out of this world: NASA is developing a 3D food printer for deep space that will create meals from powdered proteins, carbohydrates, macronutrients, and micronutrients.
This has a couple of implications. The first is the opportunity to affect the methane in the Greenhouse gas recipe. According to the ASEM website, the company “Modern Meadow bioprints 3D-printed meat without killing animals. The process starts with a draw of stem cells from a cow via a biopsy. The cells are stimulated to produce muscle cells, which are then deposited in multiple layers on a special surface by a 3D bioprinter. The cells fuse together, forming muscle tissue, or meat.” While methane accounts for approximately 10% of greenhouse gases, it is 30 times more potent at trapping heat. Reducing livestock mega-farms can play a role in greenhouse gas emissions. (not to mention the deforestation that comes with mega livestock farms).
The second implication is hunger. If managed correctly, this technology could literally diminish world hunger as we know it today.
This presents the perfect solution to being good stewards of our earth.
Forward Geeking for Future Thinking 
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