Food Texture Design by 3D Printing: A Review

Abstract

An important factor in consumers’ acceptability, beyond visual appearance and taste, is food texture. The elderly and people with dysphagia are more likely to present malnourishment due to visually and texturally unappealing food. Three-dimensional Printing is an additive manufacturing technology that can aid the food industry in developing novel and more complex food products and has the potential to produce tailored foods for specific needs. As a technology that builds food products layer by layer, 3D Printing can present a new methodology to design realistic food textures by the precise placement of texturing elements in the food, printing of multi-material products, and design of complex internal structures. This paper intends to review the existing work on 3D food printing and discuss the recent developments concerning food texture design. Advantages and limitations of 3D Printing in the food industry, the material-based printability and model-based texture, and the future trends in 3D Printing, including numerical simulations, incorporation of cooking technology to the printing, and 4D modifications are discussed. Key challenges for the mainstream adoption of 3D Printing are also elaborated on.

A Multidisciplinary Perspective of Ultra-Processed Foods and Associated Food Processing Technologies: A View of the Sustainable Road Ahead

“…Precision nutrition. Tailoring the diet to specific physiological characteristics of individuals, or specific subgroups of the population with homogenous biomarker profiles, has attracted both academic (e.g., https://preventomics.eu/) [91][92][93] and industrial attention from start-ups (e.g., https://www.daytwo.com), some of which make use of artificial intelligence to personalise the diet (e.g., https://lifedata.ai/digital-health/personalizednutrition). These technological advancements are prime candidates for shaping the future of food production, diet design, and dietary recommendations.…”

Advances and prospective applications of 3D food printing for health improvement and personalized nutrition

“…Promising results were obtained; above all, textural properties and qualitative measurements are helpful tools to specify 3D-printed foods models because they involved evaluations of objective parameters and also from individuals with dysphagia. Pereira et al (2021) reviewed some critical aspects of food texture design during 3DP. Due to the complexity of the process and the nature of bioinks, it is challenging to achieve desired textures from the original design.…”

“Nata Puree,” a Novel Food Material for Upgrading Vegetable Powders, Made by Bacterial Cellulose Gel Disintegration in the Presence of (1,3)(1,4)-β-Glucan

“…5) This concept can also be a breakthrough for upgrading unpopular food resources (like insects) or visually unpleasant foods for consumption (like by-products of food processing) into nutritious food powders of different structures from those of the originals. 5,7) Homogeneous powders are also expected to be applied in the three-dimensional (3D) food printing as the next-generation cooking machine, which would guarantee high reproducibility of the 3D structures according to digital programs. 7) However, the pulverization of fresh vegetables or fruits has a large drawback in that the process diminishes the well-accustomed, unique textures by the disruption of the 3D structures.…”

“…5,7) Homogeneous powders are also expected to be applied in the three-dimensional (3D) food printing as the next-generation cooking machine, which would guarantee high reproducibility of the 3D structures according to digital programs. 7) However, the pulverization of fresh vegetables or fruits has a large drawback in that the process diminishes the well-accustomed, unique textures by the disruption of the 3D structures. For example, the crispy texture of fresh cabbage significantly reduces when powdered.…”