HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach^[1] - 18 January 2022 - Hong Kong Technology Startup, Alt Farm, one of the startup incubators of the HKUST Entrepreneurship Center, today announced the debut of the first-ever 3D food printing technology for high-quality and creative food with the patented nozzle design in Asia that achieves a level of product quality comparable to high-quality dessert, plant-based food, resulting in a far more efficient, sustainable, and ethical way to create foods without compromising on quality.

From left to right: Christy Cheung, Prof. Marshal Liu, Kenny Fung, Joanna Hui

Having the startup idea in 2019, three HKUST alumni Kenny Fung, Christy Cheung and Joanna Hui havedeveloped 3D food printing technology with its mission to expand the application of 3D food printing for different kinds of food through chemical processing. They started Alt Farm with their own 3D printer with bio-reacting nozzle and will continue to work on biochemical engineering research and collaborate with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) to incorporate 3D food printing technology for other traditional food with the support from Prof. Marshal Liu, Associate Professor of Engineering Education of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

With its first patent granted on December 28, 2021, Alt Farm specializes in carrying out specific enzymatic reaction in the nozzle to generate the fibrous texture of foods. On top of the traditional 3D food printing on altering temperature profile, the patent nozzle could facilitate chain aggregation and gelation to mimic different kinds of food in constructing different 3D structure. Their target is to mimic fibrous structure in food with the help of economical scaled 3D printing technologies, and this would be achieved with the help of the HKUST Bioengineering team.

Many countries see rising demand for plant-based or vegan meat alternatives for health and sustainability concerns. According to a Gallup^[2] study^[1], 41 percent of Americans have tried plant-based meats and 60 percent of those respondents say they were likely to continue eating them. Growing consumer awareness about the harmful effects of traditional meat production has led Alt Farm to explore sustainable ways to produce meat without causing harm to animals and the environment. To keep up with the booming needs of consumers, Alt Farm will extend the use of technology to other traditional food without compromising the food's original texture and taste.

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} Gallup (cleantechnica.com)