Suitable For People With Disfagia, Scientists Create World's First 3D Printed Food

Illustration (Freepik/DC Studio)

JAKARTA - A number of scientists in the UK have succeeded in creating printed foods with 3D technology for the first time. This 3D printed food is believed to be able to help people who have difficulty swallowing food.

Academics led by UWE Bristol have succeeded in creating 3D foods printed to produce foods that are safe to eat, swallow and digest. The research was led by Alexandros Stratakos and was developed with clinical nutritionists.

This is to ensure that this 3D printed food is a complete, multi-material, nutrient-rich dish suitable for people with dysfagia conditions.

3D foods are made using refinedLopps, screened Greek yogurt, extra virgin olive oil, powdered organic mint leaves, and vegetable broths.

The researchers experimented by trying out a variety of new combinations of food thickening and special gels, to producing textured 3D food and viscosity suitable for people with dysfagia.

"With our 3D printed food, there is a risk of food particles stuck in the throat or concavity, which can be a problem for people with dysfagia," said Dr Stratakos, Associate Professor in Sustainable Agri-Food Production at UWE Bristol, quoted from the New York Post page.

"This requires less confirmation and has a specially formulated structure to provide more food control to people with dysfagia," he continued.

Dr Stratakos said previous research on 3D printed food suitable for people with dysfasia only focused on a few foods, but did not pay attention to the nutrition of these foods.

"Our food products are the first and are very suitable for people with dysfagia. In addition, they remain nutritious, delicious and rich in calories," he said.

"As researchers we are trying to solve real-life problems and dysfagia is a very important issue. It is a growing problem, because our aging population is a burden of greater health care both in the UK and internationally," he continued.