2014: a year in food technology
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chef Jet, a food printer made by 3D Systems, creates "custom edible geometries" from sugar or milk chocolate. While they may look pretty sweet to eat, there is still some work to be done on getting the right flavor. Read more about these <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/09/15/chew-on-this-edible-printed-candy/">3D candies here</a>. (FoxNews.com)
Patrick Brown, a biochemist-turned-entrepreneur, started a company called Impossible Foods, with a mission to "recreate the wonderfully complex experience of meat and dairy products." His plant-based veggie burger was created from an iron-containing molecule to get meatless burgers to taste, look and cook like actual meat. Read more about his <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/10/09/impossible-foods-creates-veggie-burger-that-bleeds-like-meat/">meatless creations here</a>. (Impossible Foods)
Coca Cola unveiled a new milk product earlier this year that they claimed has more nutritional value than milk, but will cost more for consumers. The milk, called Fairlife, is created using a cold filtration process that allows the "good stuff" to remain, while filtering out fats and sugars, resulting in a better tasting product with twice the calcium and protein of regular milk. Learn <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/11/26/coca-cola-launching-expensive-milk-that-is-more-nutritious-than-regular-milk/">more about Fairlife here</a>. (Fairlife)
Toshiba launched a new product in 2014 that wasn't a laptop, smart phone or television. It was lettuce. But, not just any lettuce. This lettuce, grown in a sterilized clean room that was once used to assemble floppy disks, is grown without any sun or soil. Learn more about this <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/11/14/toshiba-enters-high-tech-food-game-with-lettuce-dont-have-to-wash/">futuristic lettuce here</a>. (Toshiba Corporation)
The WikiPearl, made by WikiFoods, is a bite-sized ball that can be filled with anything from ice cream to cheese, even liquids. This year, they formed a partnership with Stonyfield, makers of organic yogurt, to make Stonyfield Frozen Yogurt Pearls, which is frozen yogurt inside a fruit-like skin. The pearls require no cup or spoon, and currently come in four fruit-inspired flavors. Learn more about these <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/06/16/chew-on-this-wikifoods-is-creating-tasty-ways-to-eat-food-packaging/">edible yogurt cups here</a>.
Hannah Billqvist and Anna Glansén, who together make up Swedish design group Tomorrow Machine, released their futuristic food wrappers and food packaging, both of which are meant to be environmentally-friendly and multi-functional. Their first invention, a Sustainable Expanding Bowl, is a biodegradable, cellulose wrapper that fits around freeze-dried food and when heated with hot water, cooks the food inside and morphs into a bowl. Their newer concept, called This Too Shall Pass, is packaging that is meant to naturally decompose or to dissolve in water. Both of these are still in the production phase, however, they do have a product that will be sold online by German company Infarm. Microgarden, a tiny, paper greenhouse, uses agar seaweed to grow herbs and micro-greens. Read more about their <a href="http://www.wired.com/2014/09/5-futuristic-food-wrappers-that-you-dont-have-to-throw-away/#slide-id-1470521">futuristic food packaging here</a>. (Tomorrow Machine)
The AromaFork, a product that is part of the Aroma R-evolution kit, has the potential to turn bland flavors into truly enjoyable ones. According to Sophie Boivin, public relations representative for Molecule-R Flavors, the fork plays with perception by tricking the mind into thinking it's eating what you're smelling. Chocolate mousse that tastes like wasabi? With the AromaFork, it's possible. Learn more about the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/18/aroma-fork-will-freak-your-senses_n_5831642.html?utm_hp_ref=food&ir=Food">AromaFork here</a>. (Molecule-R Flavors)