3D Food Research Articles

Impact of Storage Conditions on Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in Pre- and Post-Printed 3D Food Ink

Impact of Storage Conditions on Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in Pre- and Post-Printed 3D Food Ink

Multifunctional 3D food printer with quad-screw nozzle for four-color printing and dual ink mixing

This paper presents a novel multifunctional 3D food printer that significantly enhances conventional food manufacturing techniques. The printer features a quad-screw nozzle system capable of precisely mixing up to four different bioinks simultaneously, enabling the creation of complex multicolor food structures. Utilizing its four distinct functions—quad, replicator, multicolor, and mixing print—the printer facilitates a flexible design tailored for various culinary applications. Various bioinks, including polysaccharide curdlan, vegetable, and dairy powders, were tested to evaluate their mechanical properties and printability. Quantitative analyses were conducted using rheological measurements to assess apparent viscosity, while texture profile analysis (TPA) was employed to measure ink hardness, cohesiveness, and adhesiveness. The results indicated that the composition of the inks critically influenced the structural integrity and aesthetic quality of the printed food items. Computed tomography (CT) was used to investigate the accuracy of the printed structures. This technique allows a detailed evaluation of the shape and structure of printed foods, contributing to the improvement of product quality. This innovative approach expands the possibilities of food design and production and paves the way for diverse and creative culinary applications.

Enhancing Printability Through Design Feature Analysis for 3D Food Printing Process Optimization

We present a novel, systematic method for evaluating design printability in 3D food printing using a scoring system based on the Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) guidelines. This study addresses a gap in the current literature by proposing a structured approach to assess and enhance the printability of 3D food designs. Our framework consists of a set of nine critical questions derived from the multi-level DfAM guidelines, focusing on key printability factors including unsupported features, geometric accuracy, and surface finish. The evaluation process converts qualitative assessments into numerical values, resulting in a comprehensive printability score that categorizes designs into high, moderate, or low printability levels. To validate the effectiveness of this method, we conducted a case study involving five different designs. The scoring system successfully explores the design space and maximizes the printability of 3D food products. This method alleviates the challenges in design evaluation compared with traditional trial-and-error approaches. The results demonstrate the practicality and efficiency of our framework’s output. The proposed methodology provides a structured approach to design evaluation, offering practical insights and a valuable tool for improving the success rate of 3D printed food products. This research contributes to the field by offering a systematic framework for assessing and enhancing the printability of 3D food designs, potentially accelerating the adoption and effectiveness of 3D food printing technology in various applications.

New dimensions in dining: A review of the gastronomic evolution of 3D printed foods from 2013 to 2024 and beyond

The development of 3D food printing is evolving, particularly in high-end restaurants, since 2013 when the first complex 3D printed chocolate concept for gastronomy was developed. In 2014, several 3D food printers were launched specifically to suit requirements from the culinary sector. These technology companies often partnered with renowned chefs who developed recipes, showcased the printers and served their food products in their restaurants. Chefs often worked in teams with e.g. food designers, technologists, engineers, and nutritionists to create dishes for events and for their own restaurant customers. From Michelin starred restaurants, pop-up events to pizzerias, 3D food printers were starting to make an appearance from 2015. Then with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in 2015, the type of 3D printed foods that chefs started to develop and serve would take a new direction. By 2017 3D printed foods which were suitable for specific diets, were emerging, such as those for people with dysphagia, allergies or intolerances. While some chefs, bakers and pâtissiers focused on designing foods to meet nutritional requirements, others were involved in the reduction of food waste in restaurants, or recipe development and design of sustainable protein-based foods. Other culinarians undertook to design novel and innovative foods for customers to enjoy as a dining experience. The gastronomic evolution of 3D printed food (3DPF) from 2013 to the present day is reviewed and developments which are likely to influence the culinary sector in the coming years are explored.

Development of 3D printed zanthoxylum oil waxy rice cake

As an attractive choice for patients with celiac disease, scaling up production and innovating flavors are significant challenges for the development of traditional Sichuan snack, waxy rice cake. 3D food printing is an emerging technology that enables the production of food with the desired shape and structure. This study introduced two types of Zanthoxylum oil to enhance both the printability and quality of waxy rice cakes, aiming to achieve Sichuan-style taste through the Zanthoxylum oil's effect. The results showed that the waxy rice flour dough with Zanthoxylum oil exhibited shear thinning properties, with viscosity decreasing from 292.59 Pa·s to 91.16 Pa·s at a shear rate of 1 s⁻1, making it an ideal material for 3D printing. The addition of Zanthoxylum oil significantly enhanced water activity and hydrogen bonds in the dough system. Furthermore, the incorporation of red Zanthoxylum oil accelerated the dough maturation process. 3D printing and TPA results revealed that sticky rice cakes containing 8% and 12% Zanthoxylum oil exhibited optimal printing accuracy, with the 8% sample achieving 96.69% fidelity. After steaming, the waxy rice cake with 8% Zanthoxylum oil retained a height of 18.23 mm and a diameter of 31.74 mm, with a soft, sticky texture. In summary, the product with the addition of 8% red Zanthoxylum oil exhibited superior appearance and texture, making it suitable for 3D printing. This study is expected to realize the customized production of Sichuan-style waxy rice cake.

Edible jammed deep eutectic solvent-in-oil emulsions for 3D food printing

Concentrated emulsions, when their volume fractions exceed a critical value, tend to adopt a jammed structure and exhibit solid-like behavior. In this work, we develop a novel, edible high internal phase emulsion that incorporates an edible deep eutectic solvent (DES) as the dispersed phase, along with sunflower oil and Span 80 as the continuous phase, to formulate DES-in-oil emulsions. The rheological properties of the resulting DES-in-oil emulsions are thoroughly examined, focusing on the yield stress and storage modulus, which are indicative of solid-like characteristics. Additionally, the emulsion’s microstructure is analyzed using optical microscopy to determine the size distribution of the DES droplets. Our study further explores the impact of agitation time on the emulsion’s formation, revealing that prolonged agitation strengthens the emulsion’s mechanical properties by reducing droplet sizes. This innovative emulsion showcases potential applications in 3D food printing, where it can be used to directly form predefined solid structures. Such printed food can assume various shapes without requiring post-processing, maintaining shape integrity and self-sustainability for up to four months.

Edible innovations: Testing the WOW impact of 3D printed chocolate packaging

3D food printing is an emerging processing technology with a profound impact on both the food industry and consumer experiences. It currently makes it possible to process a wide range of food materials into custom-designed and safe-to-consume 3D printed foods. One notable application lies in the creation of customized, fully edible packaging using ingredients that are safe for human consumption. The study presented in this paper examined consumer attitudes and emotions to 3D printed edible packaging in gastronomic experiences, comparing a milk chocolate snack served in a fully 3D printed edible chocolate packaging to one served in a traditional ceramic packaging. The results show that compared to the ceramic packaging, the edible packaging elicits higher levels of surprise, fascination, and desire, thereby increasing the overall positive consumer experience by more than 10 %. Part of this work aims to familiarize consumers with this innovative type of 3D food, demonstrating its relevance and potential to the food industry. The findings contribute to understanding consumer attitudes towards 3D printed foods and suggest a new potential field of research establishing a path to strengthen its common application in gastronomy.

Citrus peel powder alters the rheological properties and 3D printing performance of potato starch gel

Owing to the growing interest in sustainable resource utilization, the current study explores the potential replacement of pectin with citrus peel powder (CP) in starch-based 3D food printing ink formulations. The effect of different concentrations of pectin (1 %, 2 %, 3 %) and CP (1 %, 2 %, 3 %) on the printing fidelity, microstructure, rheological and textural properties of potato starch gel were investigated. The results showed that the 3D printing performance of CP-added inks was higher than that of pectin-added inks at all tested concentrations. The storage modulus of CP-added ink was higher than that of pectin-added ink proving higher printing fidelity of CP-added inks. Additionally, hardness, gumminess, springiness and chewiness of food ink increased with an increase in the concentration of CP while decreased with an increase in concentration of pectin. Interestingly, pectin and CP-added inks displayed similar in vitro digestibility, suggesting an insignificant effect of replacing pectin with CP on in vitro glucose release. Moreover, the antioxidant activity of CP-added ink was higher than pectin-added ink demonstrating the potential applications of CP-added ink in functional ink development. Therefore, this study claims for effective replacement of pectin with CP in starch-based 3D food printing ink formulations as a promising sustainable additive.

Development, characterization and underling mechanism of 3D printable quinoa protein emulsion gels by incorporating of different polysaccharides for curcumin delivery

Emulsion gels stabilized by food-grade polymers such as proteins and polysaccharides are edible 3D food printing inks with various applications in food industry. In this study, 3D printable quinoa protein emulsion gels with four polysaccharides incorporated were fabricated to delivery curcumin. The effect of inulin (INU), fucoidan (FU), dextran sulfate (DS), and sodium alginate (SA) on the microstructure, rheological properties, and 3D printing performance of quinoa protein emulsion gels were all investigated. The results showed that the incorporation of four polysaccharides promoted formation of tightly packed oil droplets within gel networks, along with enhanced hardness, water holding capacity, freeze-thaw stability and decreased swelling ratio of the QP emulsion gel. All samples exhibited shear thinning behavior and polysaccharides increased viscoelasticity of QP emulsion gel. The hydrophobic interactions and disulfide bond are the main chemical molecular force of emulsion gels, INU significantly increased the hydrogen bonds interactions, and anionic polysaccharide (FU, DS, and SA) significantly increased the electrostatic interactions. QP-INU exerted best printing performance as identified by preferable self-supporting capability and high line printing accuracy. The addition of polysaccharides improved the encapsulation efficiency of curcumin in QP emulsion gel. In vitro release property showed that FU increased the bioavailability of curcumin, DS and SA decreased bioavailability of curcumin with delayed digestion rate. This study demonstrated the potential of utilizing polysaccharides to improve the flexibility of QP emulsion gel for 3D printing functional food.

3D printing food flow in different extruders based on crazy and adaptive salp swarm algorithm-deep extreme learning machine improved-lattice Boltzmann method

Extrusion is significant in achieving 3D printing emulsion. The piston and screw extruders are the common structures to achieve the extrusion. The chocolate emulsion is taken for example, two extruders are numerically investigated and compared based on the fluid dynamic analysis. To conduct the simulations, the crazy and adaptive salp swarm algorithm-deep extreme learning machine (CASSA-DELM) is proposed to predict the viscosity of the chocolate emulsion, which is used to replace the traditional fitted model. The built model can avoid non-consistency in the whole shearing rate range. Then, an improved lattice Boltzmann method (I-LBM) is introduced to process the non-Newtonian behavior of the emulsion. In the simulation, the CASSA-DELM model provides the viscosities for each iteration in I-LBM based on the obtained shearing rates. Because the attachment(s) may be generated on the walls, the no-attachment and with-attachment(s) cases are explored, and the necessary results are obtained, which indicate that the piston extruder is more suitable for extruding the single component of food fluid. The screw extruder is recommended for the multiple components of food fluid because the vortex in the X-Y cross-section contributes to further mixing action for the emulsion containing different materials, such as the investigated chocolate emulsion. The indirect experiments are conducted to validate the above conclusions. The current work can contribute to improving the extruding theory of material extrusion technologies.

Enhancement of 3D‐printability of zucchini puree by rice flour addition

SummaryThis study explored the feasibility of 3D food printing with zucchini puree‐rice flour mixtures, focussing on factors impacting print quality for home‐based applications. The effects of printing variables, including fill ratio (25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) and printing bed temperature (65 °C, 75 °C and 85 °C), were assessed on the print quality of the samples, along with rice flour ratio and a freeze‐thaw step commonly employed by general consumers. Increasing rice flour content enhanced water retention, leading to improved printability in terms of shape retention and dimensional accuracy. Higher printing surface temperatures promoted starch gelation in the initial layers, resulting in better shape retention and improved print scores at moderate rice flour ratios. The highest print quality, determined by dimensional accuracy and visual observations, was achieved with a rice flour puree ratio of 5:10, printed at a 100% infill ratio and 85°C printing bed temperature. While freeze‐thawing the mixtures preserved printability, it weakened the structure, leading to increased syneresis and spreading. Cooking fresh samples at 170 °C for 20 min after printing caused surface cracks, whereas freeze‐thawed samples retained their smooth surface. Further research is needed to optimise printing parameters, considering typical preparation steps that may be applied to vegetable flour mixtures before and after 3D printing.

Exploring puffed rice as a novel ink for 3D food printing: Rheological characterization and printability analysis

This study introduces a novel approach by using puffed rice (PR) as a sustainable and innovative ink for 3D food printing. Due to gelatinization and dextrinization, PR saw notable water absorption and solubility gains, with a modest viscosity uptick from 39.2 to 49.9 RVU, sharply contrasting Native rice (NR)'s jump from 128.9 to 167.8 RVU, emphasizing PR's minimal retrogradation. Gelatinized rice (GR) demonstrates similar stability in viscosity changes as PR, yet it requires more water and extended processing times for gelatinization. Conversely, PR's puffing process, which eliminates the need for water, offers quicker preparation and notable environmental benefits. Rheological analysis at 25% PR concentration reveals an optimal balance of viscosity (η, 897.4 Pa s), yield stress (τy, 2471.3 Pa), and flow stress (τf, 1509.2 Pa), demonstrating superior viscoelastic properties that facilitate enhanced printability and shape fidelity. Texture Profile Analysis outcomes reveals that PR significantly enhances key textural properties including hardness, adhesiveness, and springiness at this specific concentration. These findings highlight PR's potential as an eco-friendly and efficient ink choice for 3D-printed food products, providing enhanced performance and sustainability compared to GR and NR.

A review of anticaking agents in the realm of digital food printing

Background: Various food additives including anticaking agents have been in use since the second half of last century and digital printing of food is in practice. Concerns on food borne disease transmission following COVID-19 accelerated research in the direction of 3D printing. Objective: 3D printing of food depends on the rheological property of the dough. In addition to enhance the flow, anticaking agents which have other properties too can be exploited in 3D printing. Artificial intelligence (AI) assisted printing, targeting sustainability and customizability is in progress which needs data of food additives. The review has been done to consolidate data of the authorised anticaking agents used in food. Methods:Using terms according to the criteria, a literature search was conducted with the data bases: Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect and Web of Science. Literature for full text analysis were selected from abstracts of 420 papers and books resulted on search, eliminating those prior to 2014, which were out of scope of the journal Results:Consolidated literature about the anticaking agents authorised in Codex, is made discussing the deficiencies in the existing evaluation and highlighting the use of anticaking agents in 3D food printing. Promising application of the anticaking agents in AI assisted food printing has been observed. Conclusion:This review being the first of its kind, consolidates the data of the anticaking agents including the current utility in 3D printing. It may instigate further research in this regard.

Foods of the Future: Challenges, Opportunities, Trends, and Expectations.

Creating propositions for the near and distant future requires a design to catch the tide of the times and move with or against trends. In addition, appropriate, adaptable, flexible, and transformational projects are needed in light of changes in science, technology, social, economic, political, and demographic fields over time. Humanity is facing a period in which science and developing technologies will be even more important in solving food safety, health, and environmental problems. Adapting to and mitigating climate change; reducing pollution, waste, and biodiversity loss; and feeding a growing global population with safe food are key challenges facing the agri-food industry and the food supply chain, requiring systemic transformation in agricultural systems and sustainable future agri-food. The aim of this review is to compile scientific evidence and data, define, and create strategies for the future in terms of food security, safety, and sufficiency; future sustainable foods and alternative protein sources; factors affecting food and nutrition security and agriculture; and promising food systems such as functional foods, novel foods, synthetic biology, and 3D food printing. In this review, the safety, conservation, nutritional, sensory, welfare, and potential challenges and limitations of food systems and the opportunities to overcome them on the basis of new approaches, innovative interpretations, future possibilities, and technologies are discussed. Additionally, this review also offers suggestions for future research and food trends in light of future perspectives. This article focuses on future sustainable foods, alternative protein sources, and novel efficient food systems, highlights scientific and technological advances and new research directions, and provides a significant perspective on sustainability.

Formation and Texture Analysis of Extrusion-Based 3D Printed Foods Using Nixtamalized Corn and Chickpea Flours: Effect of Cooking Process

Extrusion-based three-dimensional (3D) food printing (3DFP) enhances the customization of 3D-printed foods by using multiple food pastes. Post-printing processes like baking are usually necessary and significantly impact the stability of the 3D-printed foods. This study aimed to produce multi-material 3D-printed foods using nixtamalized corn dough and chickpea paste (CP) in extrusion-based 3DFP and to study the effect of post-printing processes (water oven cooking and steam cooking) and the type of material used (single- or multi-material) on the final appearance, weight, size, and texture of the 3D-printed foods. Multi-material 3D-printed foods were successfully produced using extrusion-based 3DFP. Steam-cooked 3D-printed foods cooked uniformly and had a better appearance, as they did not develop surface cracks compared to water oven-cooked foods. Water-oven cooked foods experienced a greater weight loss of 35.6%, and higher height and length reduction of 1.5% and 8.4%, respectively. Steam-cooked multi-material 3D-printed foods were harder at 40% of strain, with force values of 66.9 and 46.3 N for water-oven cooked foods. Post-printing processes, as well as the presence of CP in the middle of the 3D-printed foods, influenced their final appearance, weight, size, and texture. This study offers interesting findings for the innovative design of chickpea- and corn-based multi-material 3D-printed foods.

Research landscape and trending topics on 3D food printing – a bibliometric review

PurposeThree-dimensional (3D) food printing is an innovative technology used to customize food products through the integration of digital technology and food ingredients. The purpose of this study is to assess the current state of research in the field of 3D food printing, identify trending topics and identify promising future research directions.Design/methodology/approachThis bibliometric review systematically evaluates the field of 3D food printing using data from published literature in the Web of Science database. After reference screening, 812 articles were included in the analysis.FindingsThe result reveals that research in 3D food printing primarily focuses on the optimization and characterization of mechanical and rheological properties of food inks and that post-printing processing, such as laser treatment, has emerged recently as an important consideration in 3D food printing. However, extant works lack animal and human studies that demonstrate the functionality of 3D-printed food.Originality/valueThis sophisticated bibliometric analysis uncovered the most studied current research topics and the leading figures in the area of 3D food printing, providing promising future research directions.

Innovating Gastronomy through Information Technology: A Bibliometric Analysis of 3D Food Printing for Present and Future Research

Innovating Gastronomy through Information Technology: A Bibliometric Analysis of 3D Food Printing for Present and Future Research

Extrusion-based 3D food printing - Materials and machines.

To help people with dysphagia increase their food intake, 3D printing can be used to improve the visual appeal of pureed diets. In this review, we have looked at the works done to date on extrusion-based 3D food printing with an emphasis on the edible materials (food inks) and machinery (printers) used. We discuss several methods that researchers have employed to modify conventional food materials into printable formulations. In general, additives such as hydrocolloids may modify the rheological properties and texture of a pureed food to confer printability. Some examples of such additives include starch, pectin, gelatin, nanocellulose, alginate, carrageenan etc. In the second part, we have looked at various food printers that have been developed for both academic and commercial purposes. We identified several common advantages and limitations that these printers shared. Moving forward, future research into food printer development should aim to improve on these strengths, eliminate these limitations and incorporate new capabilities.

Plant oil body as an effective improver for surimi-based 3D printing

Plant oil body (POB) is a natural oil droplet in micron- or submicron-scale covered by a specific shell composed of proteins and phospholipids, it has arisen numerous research interests in food industry due to its excellent emulsifying ability and great safety as natural product. In this study, POB has been exploited as an effective textural enhancer in surimi-based 3D food printing, and the underpinned mechanisms were investigated. First, POB with great rheological and emulsifying properties was prepared from peanuts, which behaved as a high internal phase emulsion. Second, for the first time, POB was introduced into surimi-based inks, which was able to facilitate the rearrangement of myofibrillar proteins through emulsification, thus ensuring fidelity and stability of 3D-printed surimi structures. The best printing performance was achieved at 2 % POB addition without compromising the surimi gel properties. However, excessive POB addition resulted in decreased viscosity, printing failure, and deteriorated gel characteristics. Third, a new mechanism was proposed to elucidate the interaction between POB and surimi proteins. On the one hand, POB physically filled in the gaps between proteins to increase the continuity and integrity of the surimi inks, thus improving the printability. On the other hand, POB with active surface altered the surimi protein molecular structure to boost the formation of hydrophobic interactions and disulfide bonds, leading to improved gel properties. Overall, this study demonstrated that POB was an effective improver for surimi-based 3D printing, providing new insights on developing new application of POB in food industry.

3D-Printed Meat Paste Using Minimal Additive: Assessment of Rheological and Printing Behavior with Post-Processing Stability

Printing foods in the desired shape with minimal additives and their stability after printing are the most important points for 3D food technology. In this study, the effects of water (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) and salt (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2%) on the printability of meat paste were evaluated to achieve improved textural and rheological properties. The printing parameters were examined at every stage, starting from the line thickness of the printed product, until the final 3D printed product was obtained. Accordingly, meat printability determined using different ingredient flow speed (3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, and 5), fill factor (1.2%, 1.3%, 1.4%, 1.5%, and 1.6%) and distance between layers (1.2, 1.4, and 1.6 mm). Salt addition increased the firmness and consistency of the samples, while the viscosity, storage modulus, and loss modulus decreased with the addition of water. Considering the line thickness and outer length, the most appropriate shape was obtained with 10% water and 1.5% salt. The optimal ingredient flow speed, fill factor, and distance between layers at a constant printing speed (2500 mm/min) were 3, 1.2%, and 1.4 mm, respectively. Four-layer-infilled 3D-printed samples maintained their initial shape after cooking, regardless of the cooking method. However, only baked products maintained their initial shapes among full-infilled samples. Although water and salt have different functions in meat, the use of the appropriate ratio is necessary for 3D-printed meat-based products to provide printability and post-production stability. To sum up optimum parameters and road map for printing meat and meat products including leftover meats and low-value by-products were revealed.