Food technology

It's nearly 15 years since the first modern air fryer hit the market, but food companies and consumers are still catching up when it comes to food safety and these game-changing kitchen gadgets. Experts share what needs to be done to safeguard health.

Most food-wrap films just act as a barrier to bacteria, but don't actually kill the microbes. An experimental new film does exactly that, plus it changes color to show when food is spoiled. And what's more, it's made from avocado seeds.

Major steps towards better, sustainable and affordable food production free of environmental challenges have been taken, with the with the opening of the "world's first farm to grow indoor, vertically farmed berries at scale".

Most of us don’t eat as much fruit and veggies as we know we should, but that goal might now be a bit more achievable. Scientists in Spain have engineered a new “Golden Lettuce” with 30 times more nutrients than the regular green stuff.

Bill Gates has thrown his weight – and his money – behind a startup making a rich, fatty spread akin to butter, using just carbon dioxide and hydrogen. And this is just the start, with milk, ice-cream, cheese, meat and plant oils also in development.

Scientists have already made edible robotic components. The next challenge is integrating them together to create an entire robot snack that could be used in a wide range of applications, from delivering healthcare to monitoring the environment.

Meal kit delivery services are proving to be quite popular, but … you still have to cook the ingredients yourself. The Chefee home robotic chef is intended to take things further, by actually preparing hot meals that are ready to eat when you get home from work.

Bored of the regular chocolate varieties in your grocery store? Swiss scientists have invented a brand new kind of chocolate made of “cocoa fruit jelly.” The new concoction uses more of the cocoa fruit, making it healthier and more sustainable.

It's super-sustainable, easily made and nutrient-dense. And it puts all other food production to shame. Now, the first air-protein factory is open. It's the food of the future, and soon a $100 million industry – but will you be putting it on your plate?

Machine-learning models predicted what would make beer taste better. Trained taste testers who drank the AI-altered beverages were greatly impressed. Now, scientists behind this taste-perfecting method have their sights set on much more than beer.

This indoor vegetable-growing machine uses artificial intelligence, cameras, climate control and a smartphone app to deliver a constant supply of fresh herbs and vegetables using minimal time, energy and effort.

Korean scientists have taken muscle and fat stem cells from cows and transplanted them into grains of rice. The end result is a new, high-protein food that should be cheap, environmentally friendly, and useful for famines, military or space travel.