Italy crafts lab-grown snacks with fruit residues, plant cells and a 3D printer

Italy crafts lab-grown snacks with fruit residues, plant cells and a 3D printer

Scientists in Italy are developing sweet snacks using lab-grown plant cells and fruit residues, creating a material that can be processed by a 3D printer into nutrient-rich “pastries.”

Italy’s rich culinary traditions may have just earned UNESCO heritage status, but the Nutri3D project by public research agency ENEA shows scientists are pushing boundaries in the quest for sustainable, nutritious foods. Prototypes include snack bars and glossy “honey pearls” designed to preserve flavor and nutritional value.

“In a world where arable land is shrinking and climate change forces us to rethink food production, the goal is to keep making what we are used to eating,” said Silvia Massa, head of ENEA’s Agriculture 4.0 lab. “The aim is not to grow the plant itself, but its cells,” she added.

Northern Europe has led early efforts, with Finnish labs producing fruit compotes from cell cultures and Zurich researchers developing cocoa-like flavorings. “We Italians add creativity, combining cellular food with recovered by-products,” Massa said, referring to fruit residues from jam production.

The project is run with EltHub, an Italian private R&D firm part of ELT Group, and Rigoni di Asiago, a family-owned company specializing in organic products. At EltHub in Abruzzo, ENEA’s plant-based “inks” are shaped using a 3D printer. An ENEA survey found 59% of respondents are willing to try such foods.

The technology could also be useful in resource-scarce environments such as space or conflict zones, said EltHub director Ermanno Petricca, dubbing the snacks “fruit for astronauts.” ENEA is also testing microgreens and nano-tomatoes for space cultivation.

On Earth, 3D food printing could enable tailored nutrition for people with dietary restrictions. A plant-based steakhouse in Rome, Impact Food, already offers 3D-printed sliced meat on its menu.