UF/IFAS scientists rethink food possibilities with 3D food printer

For years, 3D printers have become an increasingly useful technology for creating everything from rollercoaster models to houses. But what about printing food?

Adam Watson and Ziynet Boz, two UF/IFAS professors in the agricultural and biological engineering department, have been rethinking the power of 3D printers, specifically their ability to print food.

One of these 3D printers sits in their lab ready for use. With the touch of a fingertip, the machine beeps and an array of designs populate on the touchscreen. Once a design is selected, the mechanical arm makes a high-pitched whirr as it begins its meticulous work of careful layering, first starting with the base. Then, a viscous food substance like mashed potatoes is squirted out of cylinders of varying nozzle sizes until the design is completed.