KFC’s 3D Printed Chicken Nuggets

avatar

Kentucky Fried Chicken is experimenting with 3D bio-printing chicken nuggets in cooperation with a start-up 3D Bioprinting Solutions.

chickennuggets1108_1920.jpg

Image by Lebensmittelfotos from Pixabay

Last year, we saw KFC introduce a plant-based replacement for chicken meat. Now, they are going even further and are working on 3D bioprinting of chicken nuggets made from lab-grown chicken cells. At least, this is what they claim in their recent press-release.

To achieve this, they banded with a Russian start-up 3D Bioprinting Solutions to create the “meat of the future”. They plan to use lab-grown chicken cells and plant-based material to print chicken nuggets layer after layer. KFC says this will be much more ethical and ecological way compared to traditional ways of making chicken nuggets. Mostly because 3D bio-print of chicken nuggets would reduce the number of animals on farms. No chicken would be harmed in the process.

This is the second time the Russian start-up found itself in the media in recent times. A few days ago we found out that it was 3D Bioprinting Solutions that played the key role in the experiment from December of 2018 when the Russian astronaut Oleg Kononenko performed a tissue-engineering experiment when he made human cartilage. To achieve this he used a device called Bioprinter Organ.Aut made by 3D Bioprinting Solutions.

3D Bioprinting Solutions says that the 3D printing processes that are starting to be common in advanced medicine are now becoming popular in food production – like the production of meat. KFC and 3D Bioprinting Solutions are now hoping that the quick advancement of these technologies will allow us to make and sell affordable 3D printed meat products.

Both of the companies want to create a product that would both taste like and have the consistency of natural chicken meat. And the process should include growing of chicken cells in laboratory conditions. These cells would then have plant-based material added to them and KFC would add spices to create a product that would look and taste just like the original.

Yet, scientists who have experience with similar processes for bio-printing are skeptical. They say with the current level of technological development the production of these 3D chicken nuggets would be to slow and expensive. But KFC is not giving up. They want to start selling the first batches of these 3D-printed chicken nuggets in Moscow this year.

Sources:


  • If you like the content I’m producing about science maybe you will like the content I produce about gaming as well! Be sure to check out my other posts!



0
0
0.000
2 comments