Printability and textural assessment of modified-texture cooked beef pastes for dysphagia patients

Effects of pre-formulation and post-cooking method on the rheological and gelation properties of 3D printed chicken products

This study investigated the influence of oil type (olive, soybean, and peanut oil) and post-cooking methods (oven bake and microwave) on the quality of 3D printed chicken meat products. The Ostwald-de-Waele model was used to describe the flow behavior of chicken meat paste (R2 > 0.995). Oil-fortified groups present significantly lower consistency index (K) and flow behavior index (n), indicating better fluidity. A modified Cox-Merz rule was applied by multiplying angular frequency with shift factors (αSF). Surprisingly, the values of αSF are well-correlated with accuracy parameters of 3D printed cubes (|r| >0.8). For post-heating methods, baking results in higher fluid loss but contributes to a smoother surface. The microwaved gels showed better fluid retention ability and higher accuracy but lost the detail shape of the 3D printing model. Overall, the PO (peanut oil) meat emulsion group presented better textural properties and flat surfaces than other oil-added counterparts.

Effect of deacetylated konjac glucomannan on the 3D printing properties of minced pork

BACKGROUND

The influences of deacetylated konjac glucomannan (DKGM) at different condition levels (0.0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%) on the 3D printing feasibility, printing properties, and the final gel characteristics of minced pork were investigated.

RESULTS

As the DKGM content increased, the printing accuracy and stability initially increased and then declined, and the printing stability and accuracy increased to their highest levels (98.16% and 98.85%) with a 1.5% addition of DKGM. Furthermore, the addition of DKGM significantly enhanced the texture of 3D-printed meat after heat treatments. When the DKGM content reached 1.5%, the hardness and springiness were 1.19 and 1.06 times higher than those of the control group. The results of low-field nuclear magnetic resonance and Raman spectra revealed that DKGM enhanced the amount of bound water in 3D-printed meat and encouraged changes in protein structure. After the addition of DKGM at 1.5%, the contents of bound water and β-sheets were 7.67% and 12.89% higher than those of the control group, respectively, facilitating the development of a better gel network of minced meat during heating.

CONCLUSION

The results indicate that a concentration of 1.5% DKGM is the ideal setting for obtaining the desired rheological properties and textural characteristics (printability) of 3D-printed minced meat products compared to other samples. In addition, the results showed that the addition of DKGM at 1.5% promotes the transition from α-helix to β-folding of proteins during heating, which facilitates the formation of gels. The results of the study contribute to the application potential of minced meat in the field of 3D food printing. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Personalized nutrition with 3D-printed foods: A systematic review on the impact of different additives

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is one of the world's top novel technologies in the food industry due to the production of food in different conditions and places (restaurants, homes, catering, schools, for dysphagia patients, and astronauts' food) and the production of personalized food. Nowadays, 3D printers are used in the main food industries, including meat, dairy, cereals, fruits, and vegetables, and have been able to produce successfully on a small scale. However, due to the expansion of this technology, it has challenges such as high-scale production, selection of printable food, formulation optimization, and food production according to the consumer's opinion. Food additives (gums, enzymes, proteins, starches, polyphenols, spices, probiotics, algae, edible insects, oils, salts, vitamins, flavors, and by-products) are one of the main components of the formulation that can be effective in food production according to the consumer's attitude. Food additives can have the highest impact on textural and sensory characteristics, which can be effective in improving consumer attitudes and reducing food neophobia. Most of the 3D-printed food cannot be printed without the presence of hydrocolloids, because the proper flow of the selected formulation is one of the key factors in improving the quality of the printed product. Functional additives such as probiotics can be useful for specific purposes and functional food production. Food personalization for specific diseases with 3D printing technology requires a change in the formulation, which is closely related to the selection of correct food additives. For example, the production of 3D-printed plant-based steaks is not possible without the presence of additives, or the production of food for dysphagia patients is possible in many cases by adding hydrocolloids. In general, additives can improve the textural, rheological, nutritional, and sensory characteristics of 3D printed foods; so, investigating the mechanism of the additives on all the characteristics of the printed product can provide a wide perspective for industrial production and future studies.

Pathways in formulating foods for the elderly

The growth of the elderly population worldwide is posing significant challenges to human society. The progressive physical and physiological changes occur with aging, including decreased appetite, incomplete digestion, and reduced absorption of nutrients. A common feature of many elderly people's diets is a deficiency in proteins (especially easily digestible ones) and micronutrients (e.g., vitamins, zinc, iron, and calcium). One of the solutions to this problem is the incorporation of these components into suitably texture-modified foods. There is a dearth of products that meet the needs of the elderly with special medical/health conditions such as dysphagia, osteoporosis, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, as well as those who are in hospital and palliative care. Future research and development of foods for the elderly must address specific dietary needs of different subgroups of elderly people with underlying health conditions. The existence of different physical and physiological stages of the elderly means that their specific dietary requirements must be considered. This review summarizes current knowledge on nutritional requirements including those with underlying health problems and outlines the research and innovation pathways for developing new foods considering nutrition, texture, flavor, and other sensory aspects.

3D Printing of Materials and Printing Parameters with Animal Resources: A Review

3D printing technology enables the production of creative and personalized food products that meet consumer needs, such as an attractive visual appearance, fortification of specific nutrients, and modified textures. To popularize and diversify 3D-printed foods, an evaluation of the printing feasibility of various food pastes, including materials that cannot be printed natively, is necessary. Most animal resources, such as meat, milk, and eggs, are not inherently printable; therefore, the rheological properties governing printability should be improved through pre-/post-processing or adding appropriate additives. This review provides the latest progress in extrusion-based 3D printing of animal resource-based inks. In addition, this review discusses the effects of ink composition, printing conditions, and post-processing on the printing performance and characteristics of printed constructs. Further research is required to enhance the sensory quality and nutritional and textural properties of animal resource-based printed foods.

Food Processing and Nutrition Strategies for Improving the Health of Elderly People with Dysphagia: A Review of Recent Developments

Dysphagia, or swallowing difficulty, is a common morbidity affecting 10% to 33% of the elderly population. Individuals with dysphagia can experience appetite, reduction, weight loss, and malnutrition as well as even aspiration, dehydration, and long-term healthcare issues. However, current therapies to treat dysphagia can routinely cause discomfort and pain to patients. To prevent these risks, a non-traumatic and effective treatment of diet modification for safe chewing and swallowing is urgently needed for the elderly. This review mainly summarizes the chewing and swallowing changes in the elderly, as well as important risk factors and potential consequences of dysphagia. In addition, three texture-modified food processing strategies to prepare special foods for the aged, as well as the current statuses and future trends of such foods, are discussed. Nonthermal food technologies, gelation, and 3D printing techniques have been developed to prepare soft, moist, and palatable texture-modified foods for chewing and swallowing safety in elderly individuals. In addition, flavor enhancement and nutrition enrichment are also considered to compensate for the loss of sensory experience and nutrients. Given the trend of population aging, multidisciplinary cooperation for dysphagia management should be a top priority.

Investigation of 3D printing product of powder-based white mushroom incorporated with soybean protein isolate as dysphagia diet

The elderly people are prone to dysphagia due to weakened muscle strength. 3D food printing could modify the nutritional ratio and shape design to produce personalized nutritious food suitable for patients with dysphagia. White mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) is rich in a variety of active ingredients such as polysaccharides and polyphenols which are beneficial to human body, but its unique texture is not suitable for patients with dysphagia to chew. This study investigated the impact of different concentrations of soybean protein isolate (SPI, 3%, 5%, 7%, w/w) on 3D food printing of white mushroom powder and carried out the hierarchical representation of dysphagia diet within the framework of International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI). The results illustrated that SPI addition to white mushroom gel reduced water mobility and promoted hydrogen bond formation, which significantly improved the mechanical strength and cohesiveness of printing inks, including yield stress, viscosity and hardness. IDDSI tests showed that the SPI addition of 3% and 5% helped the printing ink pass the spoon tilt test and the fork drip test, which could be classified as level 5 minced and moist food under the consideration of the fork pressure test. The 3D printing results indicated that the 7% SPI addition made the yield stress too high and was not easy for extrusion, resulting in the appearance defects of the printed sample. The addition of 3% SPI could make the printed sample have smooth surface and excellent self-supporting capacity. This work provides insights of white mushroom 3D printing technology as a more visually appealing dysphagia diet.

Advances in the Potential Application of 3D Food Printing to Enhance Elderly Nutritional Dietary Intake

The contradiction between the growing demand from consumers for "nutrition & personalized" food and traditional industrialized food production has consistently been a problem in the elderly diet that researchers face and discuss. Three-dimensional (3D) food printing could potentially offer a solution to this problem. This article reviews the recent research on 3D food printing, mainly including the use of different sources of protein to improve the performance of food ink printing, high internal phase emulsion or oleogels as a fat replacement and nutrition delivery system, and functional active ingredients and the nutrition delivery system. In our opinion, 3D food printing is crucial for improving the appetite and dietary intake of the elderly. The critical obstacles of 3D-printed food for the elderly regarding energy supplements, nutrition balance, and even the customization of the recipe in a meal are discussed in this paper. By combining big data and artificial intelligence technology with 3D food printing, comprehensive, personalized, and customized geriatric foods, according to the individual traits of each elderly consumer, will be realized via food raw materials-appearance-processing methods. This article provides a theoretical basis and development direction for future 3D food printing for the elderly.

Effects of κ-carrageenan gum on 3D printability and rheological properties of pork pastes

The effects of κ-carrageenan gum (KG) on the 3D printability and rheological properties of pork pastes were investigated in this study. There were five groups with different levels of KG (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 g/kg) named as KG-0, KG-2, KG-4, KG-6, and KG-8, respectively. The addition of KG increased the yield stress, viscosity, shear stress, recovery percentage, storage modulus, loss modulus, and initial and average flow forces (P < 0.05). The results of low-field nuclear magnetic resonance analysis revealed that addition of KG reduced T₂₁ and T₂₂ (P < 0.05). The best printing parameters were obtained by accuracy and stability results: printing filling percent, 90%; printing speed, 35 mm⋅s^-1; layer height, 2 mm; nozzle diameter, 1.55 mm, and KG addition level, 6 g/kg. KG addition improved the hardness, springiness, chewiness, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, and density, respectively (P < 0.05). The results suggested that KG addition improved the rheological properties and 3D printability of the pork pastes.

3D printing based on meat materials: Challenges and opportunities

Three-dimensional (3D) printing, as an emerging technology, is driving great progress in the food industry. In the meat field, 3D printing is expected to replace the traditional food industry and solve the problems of raw material waste and food contamination. Nevertheless, the application of 3D printing in meat still faces many challenges. The rheological properties of the ink, such as shear thinning behavior, viscosity, and yield stress, are critical in determining whether it can be printed smoothly and ensuring the quality of the product. Meat materials are complex multi-phase colloidal systems with unique fibrous structures that cannot be printed directly, and improving the printability of meat colloids mainly limits meat printing. The complexity of meat colloidal systems determines the different heat requirements. In addition, at this stage, the functionality of the printer and the formulation of a single nutritional and organoleptic properties limit the implementation and application of 3D printing. Moreover, the development of cultured meat, the full application of by-products, and the emergence of new technologies provides opportunities for the application of 3D printing in the meat industry. This review highlights the current challenges and opportunities for the application of 3D printing in meat to provide new ideas for the development of 3D printing.

Progress in Extrusion-Based Food Printing Technology for Enhanced Printability and Printing Efficiency of Typical Personalized Foods: A Review

Three-dimensional printing technology enables the personalization and on-demand production of edible products of individual specifications. Four-dimensional printing technology expands the application scope of 3D printing technology, which controllably changes the quality attributes of 3D printing products over time. The concept of 5D/6D printing technology is also gradually developing in the food field. However, the functional value of food printing technology remains largely unrealized on a commercial scale due to limitations of printability and printing efficiency. This review focuses on recent developments in breaking through these barriers. The key factors and improvement methods ranging from ink properties and printer design required for successful printing of personalized foods (including easy-to-swallow foods, specially shaped foods, and foods with controlled release of functional ingredients) are identified and discussed. Novel evaluation methods for printability and printing precision are outlined. Furthermore, the design of printing equipment to increase printing efficiency is discussed along with some suggestions for cost-effective commercial printing.

Meat texture modification for dysphagia management and application of hydrocolloids: A review

Dysphagia is a medical condition that describes the difficulty of swallowing food, and texture modified food (TMF) is the best intervention for dysphagia. The relevant guidelines to identify dysphagia food are provided by the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI). Developing texture modified meat is a challenging task due to its fibrous microstructure and harder texture. Various meat tenderization attempts are therefore evaluated in the literature. Meat texture modification for dysphagia is not just limited to tenderization but should be focused on safe swallowing attributes as well. The application of hydrocolloids for designing TMF has a major research focus as it is a cost-effective method and offers an opportunity for careful control. The present review focuses on the meat texture modification attempts that have been used in the past and present, with special attention to the use of hydrocolloids. Several studies have shown improvements in texture upon the addition of various hydrocolloids; however, few studies have attempted to develop texture modified meat for people with dysphagia. This area has to be further developed along with the sensory evaluations conducted with the dysphagia population, to validate the industrial application of hydrocolloids to TMF.

3D Food Printing Applications Related to Dysphagia: A Narrative Review

Dysphagia is a condition in which the swallowing mechanism is impaired. It is most often a result of a stroke. Dysphagia has serious consequences, including choking and aspiration pneumonia, which can both be fatal. The population that is most affected by it is the elderly. Texture-modified diets are part of the treatment plan for dysphagia. This bland, restrictive diet often contributes to malnutrition in patients with dysphagia. Both energy and protein intake are of concern, which is especially worrying, as it affects the elderly. Making texture-modified diets more appealing is one method to increase food intake. As a recent technology, 3D food printing has great potential to increase the appeal of textured foods. With extrusion-based printing, both protein and vegetable products have already been 3D printed that fit into the texture categories provided by the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative. Another exciting advancement is 4D food printing which could make foods even more appealing by incorporating color change and aroma release following a stimulus. The ultra-processed nature of 3D-printed foods is of nutritional concern since this affects the digestion of the food and negatively affects the gut microbiome. There are mitigating strategies to this issue, including the addition of hydrocolloids that increase stomach content viscosity and the addition of probiotics. Therefore, 3D food printing is an improved method for the production of texture-modified diets that should be further explored.

Instrumental and sensory techniques to characterize the texture of foods suitable for dysphagic people: A systematic review

The interest to characterize texture-modified foods (TMFs) intended for people with oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) has grown significantly since 2011. Several instrumental and sensory techniques have been applied in the analysis of these foods. The objective of the present systematic review was to identify the most appropriate techniques, especially for the food industry and clinical setting. The search was carried out in three online databases according to the "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses" (PRISMA). Across the multiple trials reviewed, Texture Profile Analysis and the Uniaxial Compression Test were most used as the instrumental technique for solid foods, and the Back Extrusion Test for fluid and semisolid foods. All trials used descriptive analysis as the sensory technique. However, the experimental conditions of the trials lacked standardization. Consequently, the results of the trials were not comparable. To properly characterize the texture of TMFs intended for OD by each technique, an international consensus is needed to establish standardized experimental conditions. Methods based on these techniques should also be validated by collaborative studies to verify repeatability, replicability, and reproducibility.

Food for the elderly based on sensory perception: A review

Background

The impairments of physiological functions caused by aging are common problems in the elderly, especially the impairments of sensory perception. Besides, close relationship between food sensory perception and nutritional status also suggests the importance of dietary management for the elderly population. The foods taking sensory perception into account are urgently needed by the elderly.

Scope and approach

This review analyzed sensory perception changes and their effects on food behaviors and nutritional status. Besides, sensory properties essential for aged-foods and acquisition methods, as well as current status of such foods were summarized.

Key findings and conclusions

Soft, smooth and moisty foods were more suitable for the elderly with chewing and swallowing dysfunction, which can be prepared by gelation, enzyme treatment, blade tenderization and other non-thermal technologies. Flavor enhancement/enrichment, irritant addition and packet sauces were recommended to compensate the impairment of chemical sensory. Molds, piping bag and 3D printing were suggested for refining appearance of pureed foods, and improving appetite of the elderly.

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Sensory perception changes of the elderly affect food behaviors and health.

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Soft, smooth, and moisty foods are more suitable for the elderly.

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Gelation and enzyme treatment are applied to modify the texture of aged food.

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Packet sauces may meet the heterogenetic flavor requirements of the elderly.

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Visually attractive food made by 3D printing can increase the appetite of elderly.

3D Printing of Shiitake Mushroom Incorporated with Gums as Dysphagia Diet

With the speeding tendency of aging society, the population experienced dysphagia is increasing quickly. Desirable dysphagic diets should be safe, visually appealing and nutritious. 3D printing allows for creation of personalized nutritious foods with regular-like appearance. Shiitake mushroom, rich in protein and bioactive compounds, is suitable for elderly, but its hard texture was not friendly to the elderly with dysphagia. This study investigated the feasibility of production of dysphagic product using shiitake mushroom by 3D printing with various gums addition, including arabic gum (AG), xanthan gum (XG) and k-carrageenan gum (KG) at concentrations of 0.3%, 0.6% and 0.9% (w/w). Data suggested that XG and KG incorporation significantly increased inks’ mechanical strength by decreasing water mobility and promoting the formation of hydrogen bond, enabling 3D printed objects with great self-supporting capacity. The XG containing and KG-0.3% samples were categorized into level 5—minced and moist dysphagia diet within international dysphagia diet standardization initiative (IDDSI) framework. AG addition decreased mechanical strength and viscosity, hardness and self-supporting capacity of 3D printed constructions. AG-0.3% and AG-0.6% samples could not be classified as dysphagia diets based on IDDSI tests. This study provides useful information for dysphagia diet development with appealing appearance by 3D printing.

Exploring Tools for Designing Dysphagia-Friendly Foods: A Review

Dysphagia is a medical condition that affects normal swallowing. To prevent the risk of aspiration or choking, thickened fluids and texture-modified foods have been used for dysphagia management with the goal of slowing down the flow of liquids and protecting the airway. This article summarizes the available information about the rheological and textural parameters, the characterization of the most-used thickeners and the application of alternative texture modification technologies that are crucial to developing safe dishes for people who suffer from swallowing difficulties. Regarding rheological and textural measurements, fundamental and empirical methods are described.