As we inevitably grow older and our bodies begin to descend with age, chewing and swallowing some of our favorite foods become one of the many difficulties we may have to face as people reach an elderly age. Harmful conditions such as strokes and dementia often lead to a loss in eating abilities, forcing older people to settle for unfavorable ‘mash-type’ meals, which are much less nutritious and appealing then they could be. But with methods of 3D printing food on the rise, the European-based
The Foodjet 3D printer in action
“We use a printing technology based on jet printing. A gelling agent supports the shaping of the pureed and strained food,” says Pascal de Grood of Foodjet, Netherlands. “On the one hand the gelling agent needs to be compatible with the printing system, while on the other hand the printing system must support food matrices such as meat, carbohydrate and vegetables.”
The project involves may European countries, including Italy, Austria, Netherlands, and Denmark, and is heading by the German-based food innovation company
3D printed peas
Before the elderly customer’s personalized food order is 3D printed, the PERFORMANCE concept uses an algorithm programmed by the German IT company Sanalogic, which monitors the nutritional value of each patient on a weekly basis, while other European-based enterprises helped with the packaging and set-up of the program. All in all, the PERFORMANCE concept is providing nursing home residents with eating troubles a chance to relive their favorite dishes from the past. With a uniquely developed 3D food printer, European’s elderly folk can now once again experience the texture, nutrition, and excitement of their favorite foods even in the mash-type puree form.
