This Artist is 3D Printing Flavor Molecules

What makes food artificial? If it's artificial, does that make it bad? We speak with artist Alexandra Genis who is using technology to challenge how we think about food's design.

Is natural really better? Food designer Alexandra Genis is set on challenging how you think about artificial foods. Her work uses the latest in technology from 3D printing to biotech to look at how food can be produced and how these new methods fit into the sustainability conversation.

Listen in as we explore the power of art, design, and technology to re-imagine our food system.

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🍦Nick’s uses high tech to make guilt-free treats

💩 If this researcher can makes vanilin from cow poop, what else is possible?

🧪 Video of Alexandra’s 3D Printed Flavor Molecules

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Episode Transcript

Analisa Winther, Nordic FoodTech Podcast Host  1:52

You did this big project called Atoma, which has gotten a lot of recognition in different places. What was that project about?

Alexandra Genis  2:02 

So, I created spices from the 24 main volatile organic compounds of the strawberry. Volatile organic compounds are basically flavoring molecules. So, when we eat something like an apple or coffee, or you know, a pizza, then we think it's apple or coffee or pizza flavor, but that's not the truth. It's actually always a combination of different flavoring molecules. And in total, there are like 11,000 flavoring molecules that we know of, which are in everything we eat. So, they are in natural and artificial foods. They are even in petroleum or in old books.

Analisa Winther, Nordic FoodTech Podcast Host  2:44 

But we can’t taste all 11,000 of those, right?