3D Printing: Can It Really Create ‘Chicken Fillet’ with an Irresistible Aroma?

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In a factory in Barcelona, Spain, a 3D printer is printing a whole piece of chicken fillet. The robotic arm extrudes a paste made from plant proteins such as peas and beets, gradually shaping these plant proteins to mimic the fibrous structure of real chicken meat. This Spanish plant-based meat company uses 3D printing to replicate the texture and taste of real meat, resulting in plant-based meat that is aromatic after cooking.

Giuseppe Sionti, founder of a Spanish plant-based meat company: The most challenging aspect now is to produce a whole piece of meat, which is the goal pursued by the entire plant-based meat industry. Consumers also hope that imitation meat can replicate the texture of steak, chicken breast, and pork tenderloin.

In recent months, the chicken fillet produced by this plant-based meat company has been sold in a limited number of restaurants in Barcelona. According to these restaurants, some customers indeed could not tell that the chicken fillet in the dish was 3D-printed plant meat. Nevertheless, industry insiders believe that plant-based meat still cannot replace real meat. One reason is that the price of artificial plant meat is still higher than that of real meat; another reason is that most people prefer natural food. Although several restaurants participating in the trial operation have recently welcomed many customers eager to try it, some restaurant owners believe that most of the time, customers actually prefer to eat natural food.

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