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Take a big bite into KFC's new plan for edible, 3D-printed chicken nuggets
Culinary scientists have been trying to concoct the "meat of the future" for decades, and now the fast-food icon KFC is stuffing money into a new partnership with Russian startup 3D Bioprinting Solutions to print chicken nuggets layer-by-layer for hungry consumers by utilizing chicken cells and plant-based material as ingredients.
Sound slightly unappetizing? You're not alone, but who's going to stand in the way of impending progress when it comes to conjuring up a stitched-together digital snack food that's conceived by a machine?
To provide a tasty treat while reducing the need for unethical farming practices and enlisting environmentally sound technology, the American restaurant chain that served their first drumsick way back in 1952 hopes to cook up the planet's first laboratory-produced chicken nuggets.
But Vegans beware, they won't exactly be strictly vegetarian as the recipe also calls for good old-fashioned chicken DNA as well.
“3D bioprinting technologies, initially widely recognized in medicine, are nowadays gaining popularity in producing foods such as meat,” explained Yusef Khesuani, co-founder of 3D Bioprinting Solutions, in an official KFC statement. "In the future, the rapid development of such technologies will allow us to make 3D-printed meat products more accessible and we are hoping that the technology created as a result of our cooperation with KFC will help accelerate the launch of cell-based meat products on the market."
The ubiquitous fried chicken titan that helped revolutionize ready-to-go meals hasn't actually fed nugget fans these hybrid Biomeat offerings yet, but the Russian company has high hopes and plans for serving them up in Moscow later this year on a trial basis.
3D Bioprinting Solutions' proprietary methods of digital production are expected to result in a revolutionary new snack food item that should replicate the exact shape, taste, and texture of real chicken meat while being devoid of any live animal products. KFC is delivering to its marketing partner all the secret herbs and spices to attain that perfect KFC taste.
“At KFC, we are closely monitoring all of the latest trends and innovations and doing our best to keep up with the times by introducing advanced technologies to our restaurant networks," adds Raisa Polyakova, General Manager of KFC Russia. "Crafted meat products are the next step in the development of our “restaurant of the future” concept. We are glad to contribute to its development and are working to make it available to thousands of people in Russia and, if possible, around the world."
