Effect of whey protein on the 3D printing performance of konjac hybrid gel

Abstract

3D printing technology is a rapid prototyping technology. It has been widely applied in food field now. Konjac flour comes from konjac tubers, and whey protein comes from milk. The gel system formed by them can be used in the 3D printing process. This study investigated the 3D printing performance and supportability of the konjac-whey protein gel system. The results show that the rheological properties of the konjac gel added with whey protein have been improved, including storage modulus (G’) and viscosity, etc. Textural properties of gels like hardness, springiness, chewiness, gumminess, and cohesiveness have been also enhanced. Microstructure analysis shows that the addition of whey protein will change the original gel structure and it will form a new structure with a denser gel. It will also affect the supporting performance of printed products and the fluency of extrusion process. According to the results, we can conclude that the addition of whey protein powder has an effect on 3D printing performance of the gel. Addition of 20% whey protein can significantly improve the printing performance.