German company Print2Taste has launched a Kickstarter campaign for Bocusini, the world’s first 3D food printing system. 

It looks so delicious. The German company Print2Taste announced the launch of their 3D food printer Bocusini a few weeks ago. They’re based in Bavaria, near Munich, a region mostly associated with beer, but also offers amazing food specialties.

Today, they launched their Kickstarter campaign. Bocusini promises to deliver a  plug & play 3D food printing system. The first successful print can be made within half an hour without any prior knowledge, so long as you use one of their pre-filled Bocusini cartridges.

If you look at the pictures, you might think that someone combined molecular gastronomy and a frosting bag. But the result looks great; the resolution of the prints is very fine, and the ability to make intriguing, detailed food objects right out of the 3D printer is more than a gimmick.

Liver Pate, straight from a 3D Food Printer

The Bocusini food 3D printer extrudes food from syringe-like cylindrical tubes. Print2Taste have promised that these cartridges will offer ”high-quality food […] and extraordinary taste”. According to their website, the “inks” being offered in the near future include tasty things based on natural ingredients such as:

• ❏ Marzipan
• ❏ Caramel
• ❏ Fondant
• ❏ Baiser
• ❏ Jelly
• ❏ Liver Paté
• ❏ Cream Cheese
• ❏ Butter
•  

At this early stage, the only food “filament” currently available for the Bocusini 3D Food printer is Potato Puree. We’re not sure what the specifications for printable potato puree are, but it’s probably just as easy to use store-bought potato puree, which is ready to mix with hot water. The only thing that would need to be tested is the actual viscosity of the mixture.

And yes, the cartridges can be refilled after use, which opens up a whole new 3D printing ecosystem if the Bocusini is successfully funded. Instead of a proprietary system that tries to hinder you from using your own equipment, we have the impression that Bocusini actively encourages users to be creative with their food and experiment with the 3D food printer to create whole new “food worlds”. Furthermore, the Bocusini can be retrofitted on Ultimaker and Printrbot Open Source 3D printers.

A 3D Food Ecosystem

Of course, the point of food is that you want to eat it. The focus on quality and excellent taste is an indicator that Bocusini is not only a technical solution you can 3D print food with, but a whole ecosystem for 3D food printing, spanning printers, cartridges, and of course meals to cook by following online recipes.

The Bocusini website already features some good-looking recipes, and rest assured we’ll be testing one out as soon as it becomes available. The team has put a lot of effort into the texturing of the food, and wants to overturn the perception that 3D printed food is too artificial or synthetic to be edible.

See the first video featuring the Bocusini:

The last thing that gets us excited about the Bocusini is not 3D printing-related. The Bocusini team approaches the production of food and meals as a social event. The Bocusini should be enjoyed with friends and family. It isn’t so much about the specifications of the printer; it’s about a social habit of dining together. As this habit seems to have faded in modern society, Bocusini tries to preserve this tradition by adapting it to modern technology.

What do you think? Do you find the prospect of 3D food appetising? Is the Bocusini a 3D food printer you’d like to own?