The present invention discloses novel exquisite VCF as well as the inventive methodology for its production. It involves the disruption of the structure of the natural vegan compatible raw material and creation of the VCF structure by sophisticated inventive processing taking advantage of relevant properties of vegan compatible raw material. VCF contain all nutrients and active ingredients of the vegan compatible raw materials used. The composition of such inventive nutrition is adaptable to common and personalized nutritional requirements.

A system and method for positioning a food product with respect to a print head for printing on a surface thereof. The system is incorporated into a printer. The system has a movable support surface for supporting the food product thereon, the support surface being vertically and horizontally moveable with respect to the print head. A sensor is provided for detecting a position of a surface of the food product positioned on the moveable support surface with respect to the print head. The sensor provides a signal to the printer indicative of a position of the surface of the food product and wherein the moveable support surface is adjustable in response thereto. The sensor is a position sensor configured to detect the position of a top surface of the food product.

Present invention relates to food industry, particularly, to the field of protein-based products as meat substitutes. More particularly, the invention is the system and method for printing food products similar to animal meat from textured vegetable protein and animal cell material via micro-extruding technology. The meat substitute printing system consists of a printing device including a protein material delivery system and a cellular material delivery system of one type at least; a positioning device of the printing device with at least 5 degrees of freedom on various axes and configured to displace the printing device in space as it was preprogrammed, and a control system. The cellular material delivery system has at least one hermetic nozzle that can move along the platform of cellular material delivery system along guiding bars via linear actuator, and protein material delivery system has at least one nozzle that can move along the platform of cellular material delivery system along guiding bars via linear actuator. Plus, nozzle for protein material printing has a reservoir with the material, tip connected with the reservoir, and a heating element that covers at least a part of this nozzle tip and relatively divides its internal space on preheating zone and melt zone, the heating element is configured for uniform heating of melt zone up to the protein denaturation temperature or higher. The control system is configured to issue commands on the positioning device to move the printing device in space, to issue commands on the actuator of each nozzle of the cellular and protein material delivery systems for implementing consistent delivery of each material to the printing surface, to maintain the amount of delivered material and printing speed as it was preprogrammed; to control the temperature of heating element in protein material printing system for textured protein printing. The printing process can take place in the following way: applying a layer of parallel fibers of textured protein, applying a layer of cellular material, then the cycle is repeated. Use of this invention allows to create meat substitute similar in organoleptic and mechanical properties to natural meat from vegetable protein and cellular material of animal origin.

In an illustrative embodiment, systems for designing and producing customized food products include receiving a request to design a customized food product containing a printed edible medium. The systems may calculate, based on product inventory at a preferred bakery, a preparation lead time for the food product where the product inventory includes availability of printed edible media substrates. The systems may present customization user interface screens that provide customization options for the food product. The systems may convert customization option selections made at the customization user interface screens into decorating instructions for the food product and transmit the decorating instructions to the bakery. The systems may determine a position in a preparation queue for the food product based in part on attributes of pending food product orders in a preparation queue at the bakery.

The present disclosure provides a meat analogue that comprises a protein-based component and a fat-based component separately distributed within the meat analogue; wherein the meat analogue comprises at least one segment that consists essentially of the protein based component which is chemically distinct from at least one other segment that consists essentially of the fat-based component; and wherein at least one of the following is fulfilled (i) a cubic sample of the meat analogue exhibits an anisotropic physical property and (ii) the meat analogue comprises a non-homogenous distribution of the protein based component and the fat-based component. Also disclosed herein is a method of producing the meat analogue, the method preferably involved digital printing of the meat analogue.

A crafting apparatus that performs work on a workpiece is disclosed. The workpiece includes, for example, an edible foodstuff material. In an embodiment, the edible foodstuff material includes nutritional value and is consumable by, for example, human beings, animals or the like.

The present invention relates to edible webs comprising microorganisms, such as probiotics. In particular, the present invention relates to an edible web having microorganisms, such as bacteria, probiotic bacteria, bacteriophages or viruses printed thereon, e.g. by the use of inkjet printing. In addition the invention relates to methods of producing such edible webs, to various products comprising the edible webs as well as to use of the edible webs comprising microorganisms.

The present disclosure provides an edible meat analogue and a method of producing the same, the meat analogue comprising a plurality of protein strands and inter- strand sheaths material, wherein in at least one sample of said edible meat analogue, the following conditions are fulfilled: (i) the plurality of protein strands are essentially aligned, (ii) at least a portion of the protein strands are at least partially surrounded by the inter-strand sheaths material; (iii) the inter-strand sheaths material comprises at least one component that has a melting point above 30° C.; and (iv) the inter-strand sheaths material forms a network interconnecting between at least two neighboring, spaced apart, protein strands; and wherein said inter-strand sheaths material is selected to provide at least one of the following physical properties: (a) an average hardness of a specimen of the meat analogue, of at least 46 N; and (b) an average tensile strength of at least 0.012 MPa of a specimen of the meat analogue.

A technique relates to tracking a foodstuff. A device images human consumable code formed on the foodstuff, the human consumable code being part of the foodstuff, the foodstuff being unpackaged. A coding associated with the human consumable code is determined. Product information of the foodstuff is retrieved from a computer system by using the coding. The product information of the foodstuff is provided on the device.

The invention relates to edible microextruded products with compressive and tensile Young's moduli resembling the mechanical properties of meat, said edible products comprising several layers of microextruded elements made of a viscoelastic composition, said viscoelastic composition comprising in an appropriate edible solvent, high amounts of protein and an edible pseudoplastic polymer. The invention discloses also particular processes for obtaining such edible microextruded products, in particular a 3D printing method. Particular uses of edible products are also listed, including the use as meat-replacers. The invention discloses also new edible viscoelastic compositions comprising proteins and pseudoplastic polymers.