14-ingredient meal cooked by lasers sets new record in 3D-printed food

A research team led by Jonathan David Blutinger, PhD, has achieved a significant breakthrough in 3D-printed food by creating a 14-ingredient, three-course meal using multi-wavelength laser cooking. This novel technique employs multiple laser wavelengths to precisely control the texture of printed foods during the printing process, addressing one of the biggest challenges in 3D food printing—replicating the texture of traditionally cooked meals. Unlike conventional ovens or stovetops that apply heat unevenly, lasers deliver targeted energy bursts at shallow depths, enabling fine-tuning of elasticity, firmness, and chewiness across different layers of the food. The team tested blue, near-infrared, and mid-infrared lasers on Graham cracker dough and found that laser cooking could achieve peak elasticity at mid-strain levels, surpassing the texture quality of oven-baked samples. By modulating laser exposure frequency, they engineered the internal structure of the dough with precision. This advancement allowed them to produce the most complex