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3D PRINTERS GET COOKING

3D printing has long been used in manufacturing and medicine. But now food companies are using the technology to serve up sustainable practices and customized nutrition.

The food industry is responsible for about a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations. And agriculture takes up half of the world’s livable land mass and uses over 70 percent of fresh water, per Our World in Data.

But 3D-printed food utilizes more sustainable food sources like algae, insects and plant-based materials, which can also add valuable protein to a plant-based diet without the “ick” factor. In addition, printing exactly what we plan to eat could mean less waste, less packaging and reduced transport needs.

The process starts with a digital design of whatever you’re hungry for. A specialized printer heats the contents for malleability and produces the item layer by layer, much like a piping bag expelling icing. This is the most common technique and is called fused deposition modeling. As each layer hits the cold surface beneath, cooling for the next layer, it solidifies, and dinner is served.

With customization, food can be created with specific nutrient and calorie content, and it can be designed to look appealing to the diner. And when food is printed made-to-order, there’s no need to add chemicals to extend the shelf life.

“Options could include using food waste as a 3D substrate from which mushrooms or other edible fungi can be grown.”

– Bryan Quoc Le, food scientist

The ingredients are typically food elements like fats, carbohydrates or proteins in the form of purees or pastes. From intricate chocolate work to pasta to plant-based meat, the edible food ink possibilities seem endless.

There’s still research to be done, however.

“3D printing of food waste to generate new foods can be challenging. The ingredients need to be processed such that the materials are rendered safe from microbiological contamination.

They also need to maintain excellent taste and texture when converted into new food,” says Bryan Quoc Le, food scientist and author of “150 Food Science Questions Answered.”

“Possibilities may be to convert food waste into dried powders and transformed into 3D-printable edible inks. Other options could include using food waste as a 3D substrate from which mushrooms or other edible fungi can be grown,” he tells KUST Review.

According to Allied Market Research, the 3D printing food market is expected to pass U.S.$15 billion globally by 2031, up from U.S.$226.2 million in 2021.

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Fountain of youth?

The beauty industry makes billions annually from the global population keen to slow, reverse or stop aging altogether. A new study says tweaking our blood might just be the fountain of youth we’ve been seeking.

Researchers at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in California tested therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) — a medical procedure that removes old plasma from your blood and replaces it with a clean mix. Kind of like giving your blood a spring cleaning.

Testing included a clinical trial with 44 healthy individuals over 50 years of age who were either given the plasma refresh or a false treatment. Some participants were also given IVIG, which, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is a therapy of donated antibodies that support the immune system.

Those who were given biweekly plasma swaps plus IVIG reduced their biological age by an average of 2.6 years. This does not indicate that they are now 2.6 years younger than their birth certificate indicates, but how old their cells and bodies really behave.

This was determined by using tools that look at DNA patterns and molecules linked to aging.

Also observed were improvements to the immune system: less inflammation and wear and tear and more youthful T cells.

The study was small and short but it’s a glimpse into a future where personalized anti-aging treatments may exist and offer real results.

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The hunt for a Huntington’s cure

Huntington’s disease and Friedreich’s ataxia are two debilitating diseases that progress to damage the nervous system and the brain over time. They are caused by parts of your DNA repeating themselves over and over again — kind of like a stuck record that gets worse the longer it plays.

Now scientists have found a way to sort those repetitive bits with a new type of gene-editing tool called base editing, rewriting single letters at a time in the DNA without cutting the entire strand.

Two types of base editors were used: cytosine and adenine.

The researchers tested the tools on mice and on cells of patients with Huntington’s or Friedreich’s ataxia and found that by changing just a few letters within the repeated DNA sections, they became more stable — preventing growth and ultimately more damage.

In mice, the brain remained more stable, and the worsening symptoms slowed.

While in its early stages, the research opens the door to potential treatments that don’t just mask symptoms — but could potentially tackle the disease at the fundamental level.

The article was published in Nature Genetics.

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Bring on the trees

A new study out of Costa Rica shows that a higher tree volume doesn’t just help the planet, it might just protect our health.

In the lush countryside of southern Costa Rica, researchers from Stanford and Princeton teamed up to explore how tree cover affects mosquitoes. Using satellite data and fieldwork, they found that even small patches of trees, within about 90 to 250 meters, made a big difference.

Some places with more tree cover had a higher volume of mosquitos, which is good for the ecosystem, and it was fewer of the bad kind — namely Aedes albopictus, a mosquito that spreads illnesses like dengue and chikungunya.

These disease-spreading bugs preferred places more built-up or disturbed by people.

The research suggests planting and protecting trees might be a natural way to fight the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. Forest conservation isn’t just about saving the rainforest — it might just help save us too.

The findings were published in Landscape Ecology.

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Quiet please … proteins are sharing
secrets

Proteins, one of the most studied and complex molecules in biology, are the worker bees of a cell. They play an essential role in most biological systems and are responsible for most cellular functions. So, scientists thought they had a pretty good handle on the bonds that hold proteins together, but it seems they missed a few.

A new study published in Communications Chemistry reveals four brand-new types of chemical connections in proteins. Specifically, these connections involve nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur and are called NOS bonds.

The connections were discovered by reanalyzing already explored data of 86,000 protein structures and searching for patterns using an AI tool called SimplifiedBondfinder.

The search highlighted 69, previously missed NOS bonds, including some involving the amino acids glycine and arginine

These connections could play important roles in how proteins respond to changes in the body like oxidative stress or why they behave in certain ways not previously understood.

This recent find could help in designing new drugs or custom proteins. Knowing about these new types of bonds could help to build better, more effective molecules.

Sometimes looking back is the key to moving forward.

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