May/June_AMP_Digital

A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | M A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 8 5 8 STRESS RELIEF DO I DARE TO PRINT A PEACH? Researchers at Ewha Womans University, South Korea, are developing the ability to 3D print custom- ized food at home. “We built a platform that uses 3D printing to create food microstructures that allow food texture and body absorption to be customized on a per- sonal level,” explains associate professor Jin-Kyu Rhee. “We think that one day, people could have cartridges that contain powdered versions of various ingredi- ents that would be put together using 3D printing and cooked according to the user’s needs or preferences.” In addition to offering customized food options, the ability to 3D print food at home or on an industrial scale could reduce food waste and the cost involved with storage and transportation, say researchers. For the new study, the team used a prototype 3D printer to create food with microstructures that replicate the physical properties and nanoscale texture they ob- served in actual food samples. They also demonstrat- ed that their platform can turn carbohydrate and pro- tein powers into food with microstructures that can be tuned to control the food’s texture and how the food is absorbed by the body. Research is ongoing to develop a longer shelf life for the ingredients and better absorp- tion capabilities. www.ewha.ac.kr. FUNGAL FLIP-FLOPS Two students at the University of Delaware, Newark, have developed a biodegradable shoe made of mushrooms, chicken feathers, and textile waste. Master’s degree student Jillian Silverman and undergraduate Wing Tang, both in the department of fashion and apparel studies, created a biocompositematerial that forms the sole of their prototype. The team experimented with growing dif- ferent species of mushrooms and using various substrates for the environment where the mycelium forms its root network. The nutrients in which the samples grew included chicken feathers and a textile waste product that is commonly used as a packing material. Once the mycelium samples were tested and ana- lyzed to determine the best species and composition, work began on a proto- type shoe. Myceliumwas grown in a soft mold in the shape of a sole and the team set- tled on a type of vegan leather to cover the sole and make it more durable. More work remains to move from a prototype to a potentially marketable shoe. With nearby Kennett Square, Pa., known as the Mushroom Capital of the World, and Delaware as one of the top producers of broiler chickens, the researchers have an ample supply of local materials to work with. udel.edu. Biodegradable shoes made of mushrooms, chicken feathers, and textile waste. The prototype consists of a mycelium-based sole covered with vegan leather and a cotton top. Courtesy of University of Delaware/Wenbo Fan. (a) Foodmaterials are pulverized under temperatures close to -100°C; (b) micro-sized foodmaterials are reconstructed into a porous, film-shaped material by jet bonding an agent under optimized water content and heat conditions; the process is repeated layer by layer to form a 3D food block; (c) the food’s exterior and the internal microstructure of the food block are designed to provide texture along with controlled bodily absorption. Courtesy of Jin-Kyu Rhee.