Vegetable analogue of fish meat printed on 3D printer in China

23 September 2024

By Alimat Aliyeva

A group of Chinese scientists from Zhejiang University has created vegetable imitations of yellow humpback meat that can be produced using a 3D printer, Azernews reports.

According to experts, the finished products turned out to be very similar to real fish. To achieve similarity with the structure of the yellow humpback's flesh, the team performed a CT scan and obtained a three-dimensional model of the distribution of muscle and fat. The scientists then used soy protein isolate, cantane copper and starch to recreate the texture of animal tissues.

"In the end, a 3D printed product was successfully created from vegetable fish flesh with a printing accuracy of more than 90% for a composite structure," the authors of the development noted.

The researchers added that the texture, moisture distribution and nutrient content of the simulated meat turned out to be close to the characteristics of real fish.

According to scientists, their development will reduce the burden on the fishing industry, which has almost exhausted the possibilities for extracting aquatic biological resources in environmentally safe volumes.