Edible light pipes made of candy for glowing cuisine

In recent years, as one way to apply the latest information technology to the real world, attempts have been made to enhance and extend the dining experience by projecting images onto food. For example, projection mapping on dishes and tables in restaurants is used for entertainment. In the field of projection mapping on food, research has been conducted to create retroreflective materials using transparent ingredients such as candy or agar. They were supposed to work as markers for projection mapping on food. In this research, we propose a light pipe formed from candy. Light pipes are optical elements that transmit light. The proposed light pipes can be safely used on food, and can be used as edible optical devices that provide a lighting effect to the food. The light pipes are formed by pouring candy into commercially available light pipe-shaped silicone molds or commercially manufactured tubes. Comparing the light transmission efficiency of the light pipes made of candy with that of commercial light pipes, it was found that although the performance was inferior due to air bubbles in the candy, the performance was good enough to be used in experiments for food applications. As a demonstration method for actual application to cuisine, a candle-shaped light pipe placed on a sponge cake was used as a light source to produce candle-like light without using a flame. Also, by embedding the light pipe in chiffon cake or jellies, light from a laser or LED light was introduced into the food, making the food glow with light. The effectiveness of the light pipe made of candy was thus demonstrated.