Upcycling imperfect broccoli and carrots into healthy snacks using an innovative 3D food printing approach

Application of supercritical carbon dioxide to enhance the aroma of whole sorghum flour for use in 3D printing of sorghum cookies

Sorghum is a promising ingredient for new food products due to its high fiber content, slow digestibility, drought resistance, and gluten-free nature. One of the main challenges in sorghum-based products is the unpleasant aroma compounds found in grain sorghum. Therefore, in this study, sorghum flour was treated via supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) to remove undesired aroma compounds. The resulting SC-CO2-treated flours were used to generate dough for 3D food printing. At the optimized conditions, sorghum cookies were 3D-printed using 60 % water and a nozzle diameter of 1.5 mm. All dough samples produced with untreated and SC-CO2-treated sorghum flours exhibited shear-thinning behavior. Changing the treatment pressure (8-15 MPa) or temperature (40-60 °C) did not significantly affect the viscosity of the dough samples. Moreover, the sorghum cookie doughs had higher G' and G″ values after the SC-CO2 treatments (G' > G″). Doughs generated from flours treated at 15 MPa - 40 °C and 8 MPa - 60 °C showed lower adhesiveness compared to the ones produced from untreated flour, whereas 15 MPa - 60 °C treatment did not affect the adhesiveness. After baking, the 3D-printed cookies from SC-CO2-treated flour exhibited significantly lower redness (a*), but the hardness of the cookies was not affected by SC-CO2 treatment. Overall, the SC-CO2 treatment of sorghum flour did not negatively affect the quality parameters of the 3D-printed cookies while enhancing the aroma of the flour.

Characterization of Antioxidant Bioactive Compounds and Rheological, Color and Sensory Properties in 3D-Printed Fruit Snacks

The influence of wheat starch (6%, 8% and 10%, w/w) and a 3D printing program (program 1 vs. program 2) on the content of bioactive compounds, antioxidant capacity, color parameters and rheological and sensory properties was investigated in 3D strawberry and strawberry tree fruit snacks. Increasing the starch content led to a decrease in the content of almost all the bioactive compounds, while it had no effect on the antioxidant capacity. The printing program had no significant effect on the bioactive compounds (except hydroxycinnamic acids), antioxidant capacity and color parameters. A higher starch content improved the strength of the sample but had no effect on the mechanical properties. Smaller particles with a higher starch content improved the stability of the sample. In contrast to the programs, varying the starch content had a significant effect on all the color parameters except the a* values. Eight different sweeteners in two different concentrations were used for the sensory evaluation of the 3D-printed snacks. The variations in sweetener content only affected the sweet and harmonious taste. In summary, this study confirms the great potential of fruit bases for the production of 3D-printed snacks with excellent biological and rheological properties, which can be a step toward personalized food with the addition of sweeteners.

From bytes to bites: Advancing the food industry with three-dimensional food printing

The rapid advancement of three-dimensional (3D) printing (i.e., a type of additive manufacturing) technology has brought about significant advances in various industries, including the food industry. Among its many potential benefits, 3D food printing offers a promising solution to deliver products meeting the unique nutritional needs of diverse populations while also promoting sustainability within the food system. However, this is an emerging field, and there are several aspects to consider when planning for use of 3D food printing for large-scale food production. This comprehensive review explores the importance of food safety when using 3D printing to produce food products, including pathogens of concern, machine hygiene, and cleanability, as well as the role of macronutrients and storage conditions in microbial risks. Furthermore, postprocessing factors such as packaging, transportation, and dispensing of 3D-printed foods are discussed. Finally, this review delves into barriers of implementation of 3D food printers and presents both the limitations and opportunities of 3D food printing technology.