While the device can produce edible hors d'oeuvres, it is a long way off creating an entire organic meal

Dutch designer Chloé Rutzerveld has produced edible 3D-printed bite-size biscuits with live bio-cultures enclosed within the food.

A mixture of printable biscuit ingredients form a base, with seeds, live bacteria and yeast enclosed in the biscuit mixture. As the creation is left to grow, the micro-organisms alter the texture and flavour of the mixture. The final result is ready to eat within five days.

The devices, which have been specially modified for this application, are unlikely to replace allotments just yet when it comes to growing your own organic meal: the machine is still very much a prototype, with Rutzerveld working to improve the process.