scholarly journals Potential Development of Sustainable 3D-Printed Meat Analogues: A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 938
Author(s):  
Karna Ramachandraiah

To mitigate the threat of climate change driven by livestock meat production, a multifaceted approach that incorporates dietary changes, innovative product development, advances in technologies, and reductions in food wastes/losses is proposed. The emerging technology of 3D printing (3DP) has been recognized for its unprecedented capacity to fabricate food products with intricate structures and reduced material cost and energy. For sustainable 3DP of meat substitutes, the possible materials discussed are derived from in vitro cell culture, meat byproducts/waste, insects, and plants. These material-based approaches are analyzed from their potential environmental effects, technological viability, and consumer acceptance standpoints. Although skeletal muscles and skin are bioprinted for medical applications, they could be utilized as meat without the additional printing of vascular networks. The impediments to bioprinting of meat are lack of food-safe substrates/materials, cost-effectiveness, and scalability. The sustainability of bioprinting could be enhanced by the utilization of generic/universal components or scaffolds and optimization of cell sourcing and fabrication logistics. Despite the availability of several plants and their byproducts and some start-up ventures attempting to fabricate food products, 3D printing of meat analogues remains a challenge. From various insects, powders, proteins (soluble/insoluble), lipids, and fibers are produced, which—in different combinations and at optimal concentrations—can potentially result in superior meat substitutes. Valuable materials derived from meat byproducts/wastes using low energy methods could reduce waste production and offset some greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Apart from printer innovations (speed, precision, and productivity), rational structure of supply chain and optimization of material flow and logistic costs can improve the sustainability of 3D printing. Irrespective of the materials used, perception-related challenges exist for 3D-printed food products. Consumer acceptance could be a significant challenge that could hinder the success of 3D-printed meat analogs.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 2563
Author(s):  
Ivan Grgić ◽  
Vjekoslav Wertheimer ◽  
Mirko Karakašić ◽  
Željko Ivandić

Recent soft tissue studies have reported issues that occur during experimentation, such as the tissue slipping and rupturing during tensile loads, the lack of standard testing procedure and equipment, the necessity for existing laboratory equipment adaptation, etc. To overcome such issues and fulfil the need for the determination of the biomechanical properties of the human gracilis and the superficial third of the quadriceps tendons, 3D printed clamps with metric thread profile-based geometry were developed. The clamps’ geometry consists of a truncated pyramid pattern, which prevents the tendons from slipping and rupturing. The use of the thread application in the design of the clamp could be used in standard clamping development procedures, unlike in previously custom-made clamps. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) was used as a 3D printing technique, together with polylactic acid (PLA), which was used as a material for clamp printing. The design was confirmed and the experiments were conducted by using porcine and human tendons. The findings justify the usage of 3D printing technology for parts manufacturing in the case of tissue testing and establish independence from the existing machine clamp system, since it was possible to print clamps for each prepared specimen and thus reduce the time for experiment setup.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-69
Author(s):  
Amirhosein Fathi ◽  
Farzad Kermani ◽  
Aliasghar Behnamghader ◽  
Sara Banijamali ◽  
Masoud Mozafari ◽  
...  

AbstractOver the last years, three-dimensional (3D) printing has been successfully applied to produce suitable substitutes for treating bone defects. In this work, 3D printed composite scaffolds of polycaprolactone (PCL) and strontium (Sr)- and cobalt (Co)-doped multi-component melt-derived bioactive glasses (BGs) were prepared for bone tissue engineering strategies. For this purpose, 30% of as-prepared BG particles (size <38 μm) were incorporated into PCL, and then the obtained composite mix was introduced into a 3D printing machine to fabricate layer-by-layer porous structures with the size of 12 × 12 × 2 mm3.The scaffolds were fully characterized through a series of physico-chemical and biological assays. Adding the BGs to PCL led to an improvement in the compressive strength of the fabricated scaffolds and increased their hydrophilicity. Furthermore, the PCL/BG scaffolds showed apatite-forming ability (i.e., bioactivity behavior) after being immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF). The in vitro cellular examinations revealed the cytocompatibility of the scaffolds and confirmed them as suitable substrates for the adhesion and proliferation of MG-63 osteosarcoma cells. In conclusion, 3D printed composite scaffolds made of PCL and Sr- and Co-doped BGs might be potentially-beneficial bone replacements, and the achieved results motivate further research on these materials.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 70-79
Author(s):  
Dino Dominic Forte Ligutan ◽  
Argel Alejandro Bandala ◽  
Jason Limon Española ◽  
Richard Josiah Calayag Tan Ai ◽  
Ryan Rhay Ponce Vicerra ◽  
...  

The development of a novel 3D-printed three-claw robotic gripper shall be described in this paper with the goal of incorporating various design considerations. Such considerations include the grip reliability and stability, grip force maximization, wide object grasping capability. Modularization of its components is another consideration that allows its parts to be easily machined and reusable. The design was realized by 3D printing using a combination of tough polylactic acid (PLA) material and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material. In practice, additional tolerances were also considered for 3D printing of materials to compensate for possible expansion or shrinkage of the materials used to achieve the required functionality. The aim of the study is to explore the design and eventually deploy the three-claw robotic gripper to an actual robotic arm once its metal work fabrication is finished.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1113-1129
Author(s):  
Lai Jiang ◽  
Xiaobo Peng ◽  
Daniel Walczyk

Purpose This paper aims to summarize the up-to-date research performed on combinations of various biofibers and resin systems used in different three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies, including powder-based, material extrusion, solid-sheet and liquid-based systems. Detailed information about each process, including materials used and process design, are described, with the resultant products’ mechanical properties compared with those of 3D-printed parts produced from pure resin or different material combinations. In most processes introduced in this paper, biofibers are beneficial in improving the mechanical properties of 3D-printed parts and the biodegradability of the parts made using these green materials is also greatly improved. However, research on 3D printing of biofiber-reinforced composites is still far from complete, and there are still many further studies and research areas that could be explored in the future. Design/methodology/approach The paper starts with an overview of the current scenario of the composite manufacturing industry and then the problems of advanced composite materials are pointed out, followed by an introduction of biocomposites. The main body of the paper covers literature reviews of recently emerged 3D printing technologies that were applied to biofiber-reinforced composite materials. This part is classified into subsections based on the form of the starting materials used in the 3D printing process. A comprehensive conclusion is drawn at the end of the paper summarizing the findings by the authors. Findings Most of the biofiber-reinforced 3D-printed products exhibited improved mechanical properties than products printed using pure resin, indicating that biofibers are good replacements for synthetic ones. However, synthetic fibers are far from being completely replaced by biofibers due to several of their disadvantages including higher moisture absorbance, lower thermal stability and mechanical properties. Many studies are being performed to solve these problems, yet there are still some 3D printing technologies in which research concerning biofiber-reinforced composite parts is quite limited. This paper unveils potential research directions that would further develop 3D printing in a sustainable manner. Originality/value This paper is a summary of attempts to use biofibers as reinforcements together with different resin systems as the starting material for 3D printing processes, and most of the currently available 3D printing techniques are included herein. All of these attempts are solutions to some principal problems with current 3D printing processes such as the limit in the variety of materials and the poor mechanical performance of 3D printed parts. Various types of biofibers are involved in these studies. This paper unveils potential research directions that would further widen the use of biofibers in 3D printing in a sustainable manner.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 5433
Author(s):  
Seung-Ho Shin ◽  
Jung-Hwa Lim ◽  
You-Jung Kang ◽  
Jee-Hwan Kim ◽  
June-Sung Shim ◽  
...  

The amount of photopolymer material consumed during the three-dimensional (3D) printing of a dental model varies with the volume and internal structure of the modeling data. This study analyzed how the internal structure and the presence of a cross-arch plate influence the accuracy of a 3D printed dental model. The model was designed with a U-shaped arch and the palate removed (Group U) or a cross-arch plate attached to the palate area (Group P), and the internal structure was divided into five types. The trueness and precision were analyzed for accuracy comparisons of the 3D printed models. Two-way ANOVA of the trueness revealed that the accuracy was 135.2 ± 26.3 µm (mean ± SD) in Group U and 85.6 ± 13.1 µm in Group P. Regarding the internal structure, the accuracy was 143.1 ± 46.8 µm in the 1.5 mm-thick shell group, which improved to 111.1 ± 31.9 µm and 106.7 ± 26.3 µm in the roughly filled and fully filled models, respectively. The precision was 70.3 ± 19.1 µm in Group U and 65.0 ± 8.8 µm in Group P. The results of this study suggest that a cross-arch plate is necessary for the accurate production of a model using 3D printing regardless of its internal structure. In Group U, the error during the printing process was higher for the hollowed models.


Buildings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 144
Author(s):  
Guillermo Sotorrío Ortega ◽  
Javier Alonso Madrid ◽  
Nils O. E. Olsson ◽  
José Antonio Tenorio Ríos

The construction industry has embraced digitisation and industrialisation in response to the need to increase its productivity, optimise material consumption and improve workmanship. Additive manufacturing (AM), more widely known as 3D printing, has driven substantial progress in these respects in other industries, and a number of national and international projects have helped to introduce the technique to the construction industry. As with other innovative processes not covered by uniform standards, appropriate assessments and testing methodologies to control the quality of the 3D-printed end products, while not obligatory, are advisable. This article shows that regulation is not an obstacle to the use of an innovative product, such as 3D printing, by proposing quality-control tests and an assessment methodology, in the understanding that standardisation ensures the viability of a technology. The information, including the methods and results, is based on the authors’ experiences in the development of three research projects pertaining to 3D printing. This paper also discusses whether the performance of the materials used in 3D printing could be superior to traditional ones.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 3305
Author(s):  
Pablo Kraemer Fernandez ◽  
Alexey Unkovskiy ◽  
Viola Benkendorff ◽  
Andrea Klink ◽  
Sebastian Spintzyk

(1) Background: To date, no information on the polishability of milled and 3D-printed complete denture bases has been provided, which is relevant in terms of plaque accumulation. (2) Methods: three groups (n = 30) were manufactured using the cold-polymerization polymethilmethacrilate, milling (SM) and 3D printing (AM). 10 specimens of each group were left untreated (reference). 10 more specimens were pre-polished (intermediate polishing) and 10 final specimens were highgloss polished. An additional 20 specimens were 3D printed and coated with the liquid resin (coated), 10 of which were additionally polished (coated + polished). For each group Ra and Rz values, gloss value and REM images were obtained. (3). The “highgloss-polished” specimens showed statistically lower Ra and Rz values in the SM, followed by AM and conventional groups. In the AM group statistically lower surfaces roughness was revealed for highgloss-polished, “coated + polished”, and “coated” specimens, respectively. (4) Conclusions: The milled specimens demonstrated superiors surface characteristics than 3D printed and conventionally produced after polishing. The polished specimens demonstrated superior surface characteristics over coated specimens. However, the surface roughness by both polished and coated specimens was within the clinically relevant threshold of 0.2 µm.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 3117
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Rodzeń ◽  
Mary Josephine McIvor ◽  
Preetam K. Sharma ◽  
Jonathan G. Acheson ◽  
Alistair McIlhagger ◽  
...  

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a high-performance thermoplastic polymer which has found increasing application in orthopaedics and has shown a lot of promise for ‘made-to-measure’ implants via additive manufacturing approaches. However, PEEK is bioinert and needs to undergo surface modification to make it at least osteoconductive to ensure a more rapid, improved, and stable fixation that will last longer in vivo. One approach to solving this issue is to modify PEEK with bioactive agents such as hydroxyapatite (HA). The work reported in this study demonstrates the direct 3D printing of PEEK/HA composites of up to 30 weight percent (wt%) HA using a Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) approach. The surface characteristics and in vitro properties of the composite materials were investigated. X-ray diffraction revealed the samples to be semi-crystalline in nature, with X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry revealing HA materials were available in the uppermost surface of all the 3D printed samples. In vitro testing of the samples at 7 days demonstrated that the PEEK/HA composite surfaces supported the adherence and growth of viable U-2 OS osteoblast like cells. These results demonstrate that FFF can deliver bioactive HA on the surface of PEEK bio-composites in a one-step 3D printing process.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (06) ◽  
pp. 733-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari Nieves Velasco Forte ◽  
Tarique Hussain ◽  
Arno Roest ◽  
Gorka Gomez ◽  
Monique Jongbloed ◽  
...  

AbstractAdvances in biomedical engineering have led to three-dimensional (3D)-printed models being used for a broad range of different applications. Teaching medical personnel, communicating with patients and relatives, planning complex heart surgery, or designing new techniques for repair of CHD via cardiac catheterisation are now options available using patient-specific 3D-printed models. The management of CHD can be challenging owing to the wide spectrum of morphological conditions and the differences between patients. Direct visualisation and manipulation of the patients’ individual anatomy has opened new horizons in personalised treatment, providing the possibility of performing the whole procedure in vitro beforehand, thus anticipating complications and possible outcomes. In this review, we discuss the workflow to implement 3D printing in clinical practice, the imaging modalities used for anatomical segmentation, the applications of this emerging technique in patients with structural heart disease, and its limitations and future directions.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adja B. R. Touré ◽  
Elisa Mele ◽  
Jamieson K. Christie

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has been combined with electrospinning to manufacture multi-layered polymer/glass scaffolds that possess multi-scale porosity, are mechanically robust, release bioactive compounds, degrade at a controlled rate and are biocompatible. Fibrous mats of poly (caprolactone) (PCL) and poly (glycerol sebacate) (PGS) have been directly electrospun on one side of 3D-printed grids of PCL-PGS blends containing bioactive glasses (BGs). The excellent adhesion between layers has resulted in composite scaffolds with a Young’s modulus of 240–310 MPa, higher than that of 3D-printed grids (125–280 MPa, without the electrospun layer). The scaffolds degraded in vitro by releasing PGS and BGs, reaching a weight loss of ~14% after 56 days of incubation. Although the hydrolysis of PGS resulted in the acidification of the buffer medium (to a pH of 5.3–5.4), the release of alkaline ions from the BGs balanced that out and brought the pH back to 6.0. Cytotoxicity tests performed on fibroblasts showed that the PCL-PGS-BGs constructs were biocompatible, with cell viability of above 125% at day 2. This study demonstrates the fabrication of systems with engineered properties by the synergy of diverse technologies and materials (organic and inorganic) for potential applications in tendon and ligament tissue engineering.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document