KFC is no stranger to technology, but most of the time, when you see its name in technology news, it is mainly related to some exaggerated publicity or headlines. That being said, the company’s chicken-based menu is also the most famous, and it has also been working on stricter, in fact, more practical technology, which can save its business if there is a serious shortage of chicken. Its backup plan is not limited to “beyond meat”, it also involves 3D printing your next chicken nuggets.
Yes, KFC is actually 3D printing food, although the official term it uses is 3D bioprinting. Of course, 3D printing edible snacks is nothing new, as we saw in the early days of using chocolate and candies in 3D printing. However, the partnership between KFC and the Russian company 3D Bioprinting Solutions is more than the simple task of simply heating the ingredients to print them into different shapes.
This particular method sounds like an arcane technique that combines chicken cells and plant materials to reproduce the taste and texture of chicken. Although 3D Bioprinting will provide technology and equipment, KFC’s contribution will be its ingredients, especially the top-secret spice mixture, making it a symbol of the fast-food industry.
The economic, environmental and moral benefits of such a process cannot be underestimated. In this process, it will not cause harm to chicken. One of them is that biological meat guarantees the same nutrients and trace elements as the original chicken, but does not contain additives that are added to animal meat produced by traditional agriculture and animal husbandry. Presumably, growing meat from cells has less impact on the environment and cuts energy consumption in half.
Of course, success depends on whether these two companies can faithfully reproduce the taste and feel of real transactions. When the final product is ready this fall, customers in Moscow will be the first to test the theory.