KFC wants to create the "restaurant of the future" by bringing a new dish to its menu: 3D-Printed chicken nuggets.
The US fast food chain announced its partnership with 3D Bioprinting Solutions last week. The Russian company was founded in 2013 by Russia ’s largest private medical company , Invitro , and makes multifunctional 3D printers, including bioprinters that can produce tissue- and organ-based products.
In a test on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2018, the company's 3D printer was used to print human cartilage tissue and a rodent thyroid gland.
KFC and the Moscow-based company aim to create cell-based "chicken meat" in laboratories that will be as close as possible to classic chicken nuggets, with final testing scheduled for the fall.
KFC says its foray into 3D printing and its exploration as a means of producing the “meat of the future” has been driven by “theneed to develop more environmentally friendly food production methods,” as well as the need to meet growing consumer demand for alternatives to traditional meat.
However, it should be noted that three-dimensional printed products will continue to be based on animal tissues, and therefore will not be suitable for vegetarians or vegans.
KFC's lab-grown chicken nuggets will be made from tissue grown from chicken cells combined with plant material to replicate the taste and texture of typical chicken. The bioprinted meat will then be seasoned and breaded "to give it that signature KFC flavor."
“At KFC, we closely monitor all the latest trends and innovations and do our best to keep up with the times by introducing advanced technologies into networks our restaurant” says Raisa Polyakova, General Director of Russia & CIS.
«Products based on meat are the next step.»
Mass-producing lab-grown food is a challenge, but due to global, the environmental impacts of raising animals to meet meat demand, and animal welfare issues, the idea is being widely explored.
The need for innovation has already been demonstrated by KFC with the upcoming launch of American plant-based “fried chicken” developed by Beyond Meat, a company specializing in plant-based meat alternatives.
According to a 2011 study conducted by the University of Oxford and the University of Amsterdam, producing so-called “cultured meat” could reduce greenhouse gases by up to 96percent compared to raising pigs, sheep, and cows. In addition, the researchers estimate that its production could require 45 percent less energy, 99 percent less land use, and 96 percent less water use.
“In the future, the rapid development of such technologies will allow us to make 3D printed products more accessible, and we hope that the technology created by our collaboration with KFC will help accelerate the launch cell-based meat products,” commented Yusef Khesuani, co-founder of 3D Bioprinting Solutions.
