Design and characterisation of food grade powders and inks for microstructure control using 3D printing

Towards the development of foods 3D printer: Trends and technologies for foods printing

3D printing of food materials is among the innovations that could revolutionize people's food choices and consumption. Food innovation and production have advanced considerably in recent years and its market has shown rapid annual expansion. Printing food technologies are considered as a potential solution for producing customized foods such as military food, and astronaut food. The printable food ink material still lacks standardization and superior extrusion process compared to other 3D printing industries. This review paper aimed to provide a comprehensive review of the current foods 3D printing and the latest technology in certain terms and with its concrete applications. In particular, the following issues are discussed: the printing techniques, exudations classes, business prospects, technologies, printing parameters, food materials, safety, and challenges and limitations of food 3D printing along with possible improvement recommendations. Significant printing parameters have been summarized and the safety of the food printing has been evaluated. Moreover, this article also contains a detailed, tabular evaluation of technical approaches employed across researched based and commercially available systems. One of the major limitations that need to be resolved was standardization of food printing safety.

The Interactions of Soy Protein and Wheat Gluten for the Development of Meat-like Fibrous Structure

Consumers who are environmentally and health conscious are increasingly looking for plant-based alternatives to replace animal-based products in their daily diets. Among these alternatives, there is a growing demand for meat analogues that closely resemble the taste and texture of meat. As a result, significant efforts have been dedicated to developing meat analogues with a desirable meat-like structure. Currently, soy protein and wheat gluten are the main ingredients used for producing these meat analogues due to their availability and unique functionalities. This study observed that high moisture extrusion at moisture levels of 50-80% has become a common approach for creating fibrous structures, with soy protein and wheat gluten being considered incompatible proteins. After the structuring process, they form two-phase filled gels, with wheat gluten acting as the continuous phase and soy protein serving as a filler material. Moreover, the formation of soy protein and wheat gluten networks relies on a combination of covalent and non-covalent interaction bonds, including hydrogen bonds that stabilize the protein networks, hydrophobic interactions governing protein chain associations during thermo-mechanical processes, and disulfide bonds that potentially contribute to fibrous structure formation. This review provides case studies and examples that demonstrate how specific processing conditions can improve the overall structure, aiming to serve as a valuable reference for further research and the advancement of fibrous structures.

Structural, rheological, and gelling characteristics of starch-based materials in context to 3D food printing applications in precision nutrition

Starch-based materials have viscoelasticity, viscous film-forming, dough pseudoplasticity, and rheological properties, which possess the structural characteristics (crystal structure, double helix structure, and layered structure) suitable for three-dimensional (3D) food printing inks. 3D food printing technology has significant advantages in customizing personalized and precise nutrition, expanding the range of ingredients, designing unique food appearances, and simplifying the food supply chain. Precision nutrition aims to consider individual nutritional needs and individual differences, which include special food product design and personalized precise nutrition, thus expanding future food resources, then simplifying the food supply chain, and attracting extensive attention in food industry. Different types of starch-based materials with different structures and rheological properties meet different 3D food printing technology requirements. Starch-based materials suitable for 3D food printing technology can accurately deliver and release active substances or drugs. These active substances or drugs have certain regulatory effects on the gut microbiome and diabetes, so as to maintain personalized and accurate nutrition.

Nordic Crops as Alternatives to Soy-An Overview of Nutritional, Sensory, and Functional Properties

Soy (Glycine max) is used in a wide range of products and plays a major role in replacing animal-based products. Since the cultivation of soy is limited by cold climates, this review assessed the nutritional, sensory, and functional properties of three alternative cold-tolerant crops (faba bean (Vicia faba), yellow pea (Pisum sativum), and oat (Avena sativa)). Lower protein quality compared with soy and the presence of anti-nutrients are nutritional problems with all three crops, but different methods to adjust for these problems are available. Off-flavors in all pulses, including soy, and in cereals impair the sensory properties of the resulting food products, and few mitigation methods are successful. The functional properties of faba bean, pea, and oat are comparable to those of soy, which makes them usable for 3D printing, gelation, emulsification, and extrusion. Enzymatic treatment, fermentation, and fibrillation can be applied to improve the nutritional value, sensory attributes, and functional properties of all the three crops assessed, making them suitable for replacing soy in a broad range of products, although more research is needed on all attributes.

Textural characteristics and color analyses of 3D printed gluten-free pizza dough and crust

A new methodology was developed to print pizza dough with a gluten free flour blend or commercial gluten whole wheat flour using extrusion-based 3-D printing technology. Their physical properties were compared to commercially available pizza dough and crust. The optimized nozzle size, print speed, ingredient flow speed, and line thickness for the 3-D printing of pizza dough were: 0.04 cm, 800 cm/minutes, 1.8, and 0.34 cm, respectively. The printed gluten-free pizza dough required 120 min of fermentation to obtain a comparable color and textural profile (P < 0.05) to that of the gluten whole wheat flour dough fermented for 60 min. The 3-D printed gluten free, whole-wheat pizza and commercially available wheat flour dough and standard crusts demonstrated identical Δ E ab ∗ values of 0.14 and 0.13, respectively with brownness index (BI) values of 1.47 and 1.62, respectively. Textural profile analysis (TPA) of 3-D printed gluten free and whole wheat pizza dough, crust and the commercial standard wheat flour pizza dough and crust demonstrated significant (P < 0.05) correlations in terms of hardness, fracturability, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness, chewiness, and resilience. An optimized method was developed to prepare gluten-free pizza dough and crust with similar functional properties to that of gluten whole wheat flour dough and crust.

Consumer Assessment of 3D-Printed Food Shape, Taste, and Fidelity Using Chocolate and Marzipan Materials

Additive manufacturing enables the production of complex structures with emerging approaches showing great promise in the food industry for design customization. Three-dimensional food printing has benefits for providing personalized health and shape fabrication for consumers. Past studies have demonstrated positive consumer perceptions for 3D food printing, but there is still a need for consumer validation of the technology through consumption and rating of fabricated 3D-printed foods. This article measures consumer response on shape, taste, and fidelity for 3D-printed food designs. Participants (N = 28) were presented with a series of designs differing in shape complexity and ingredients (marzipan and chocolate) and provided ratings using a visual analog scale (100 mm line). The results show that fabricated shapes with higher complexity were preferred by participants with 8.8 ± 0.3 ratings over lower complexity shapes with 5.5 ± 0.4 ratings. Taste preference was primarily dependent on the material selection, with chocolate material preferred by participants with 8.2 ± 0.5 ratings over marzipan material with 6.0 ± 0.5. Results demonstrated that participants preferred 3D-printed shapes that achieved high fidelity in recreating their computer-aided design (CAD) with 7.3 ± 0.3 ratings that were greater than 5.5 ± 0.5 for low-fidelity prints. These findings demonstrate first measurements of 3D food printing from a consumer perspective and provide a foundation for future studies on personalized manufacturing and nutrition.

The Application and Challenge of Binder Jet 3D Printing Technology in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an additive manufacturing technique that creates objects under computer control. Owing to the rapid advancement of science and technology, 3D printing technology has been widely utilized in processing and manufacturing but rarely used in the pharmaceutical field. The first commercial form of Spritam® immediate-release tablet was approved by FDA in 2015, which promoted the advancement of 3D printing technology in pharmaceutical development. Three-dimensional printing technology is able to meet individual treatment demands with customized size, shape, and release rate, which overcomes the difficulties of traditional pharmaceutical technology. This paper intends to discuss the critical process parameters of binder jet 3D printing technology, list its application in pharmaceutical manufacturing in recent years, summarize the still-open questions, and demonstrate its great potential in the pharmaceutical industry.

Food extrusion: An advanced process for innovation and novel product development

Extrusion is a versatile process capable of producing a variety of new and novel foods and ingredients, thus increasing manufacturing opportunities. Further, it could provide nutritious, safe, sustainable, and affordable foods, especially directed at individualized consumer needs. In addition to past research efforts, more investigations should be conducted in order to refine, redesign, or develop new extrusion processing technologies. The present review highlights the current advances made in new and novel food product development by considering the extrusion process, the influencing parameters, and product characteristics and properties; the most promising extrusion processes that can be used in novel food product and ingredient development, such as extrusion cooking, hot-melt extrusion, reactive extrusion, and extrusion-based 3D printing; the possibilities of using various raw materials in relation to process and product development; and the needs for product development modeling along with extrusion process design and modeling. In correlation with extruded product development, topics that merit further investigation may include structure formation, plant and animal biopolymers functionalization, biopolymer reactions, process simulation, modeling and control, engineering and mechanical aspects of extruders, analysis of pre-processing treatments, as well as prototyping, risk analysis, safety, sensory and consumer acceptance.

Starch as edible ink in 3D printing for food applications: a review

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has attracted more attention in food industry because of its potential advantages, including the ability to create customized products according to individual's sensory or nutritional requirements. However, the production of high-quality 3D printed foods requires the availability of edible bio-inks with the required physicochemical and sensory attributes. Starch, as one of the important sources of dietary energy, is widely used in food processing and is considered as one kind of versatile polymers. It is not only because starch has low prices and abundant sources, but also because desirable modified starch can be obtained by altering its physicochemical properties through physical, chemical and enzymatic methods. This article focuses on the utilization of starch as materials to create food-grade bio-inks. Initially, several kinds of commonly used 3D printers are discussed. The factors affecting the printing quality of starch-based materials and improvement methods are then reviewed, as well as areas where future researches are required. The applications of 3D printed starch-based materials in food industry are also introduced. Overall, starch appears to be one kind of useful substances for creating edible bio-inks that can be utilized within 3D food printing applications to create a wide variety of food products.

3D printed foods-carbs from the lab for better health

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose of the review is to describe carbohydrate based 3D food printing technology in light of how it is affected by the use of various ingredients of ink and the properties associated with carbohydrate inks used for printing. Special focus is diverted to evaluate its effect on texture and corresponding health implications associated with carbohydrate based printed foods.

RECENT FINDINGS

The focus of 3D food printed products has revolved around texture modulation and carbohydrates are the best possible additives to achieve this modification. Carbohydrate based inks are used to design healthy texturized printed foods to provide various health benefits to consumer in addition to satisfy their aesthetic requirements. Other ingredients such as prebiotics and probiotics are major adjuncts that add value to these carbohydrates based 3D food printed foods and may have synergistic effects.

SUMMARY

Although much of the current attention is on texture modulation, health aspects of the foods naturally drive the future course of research associated with the carbohydrate based 3D food printed foods.

The future of 3D food printing: Opportunities for space applications

Over the past decade or so, there have been major advances in the development of 3D printing technology to create innovative food products, including for printing foods in homes, restaurants, schools, hospitals, and even space flight missions. 3D food printing has the potential to customize foods for individuals based on their personal preferences for specific visual, textural, mouthfeel, flavor, or nutritional attributes. Material extrusion is the most common process currently used to 3D print foods, which is based on forcing a fluid or semi-solid food "ink" through a nozzle and then solidifying it. This type of 3D printing application for space missions is particularly promising because a wide range of foods can be produced from a limited number of food inks in a confined area. This is especially important for extended space missions because astronauts desire and require a variety of foods, but space and resources are minimal. This review highlights the potential applications of 3D printing for creating custom-made foods in space and the challenges that need to be addressed.

Towards the Development of 3D-Printed Food: A Rheological and Mechanical Approach

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, has raised interest in many areas, such as the food industry. In food, 3D printing can be used to personalize nutrition and customize the sensorial characteristics of the final product. The rheological properties of the material are the main parameters that impact the 3D-printing process and are crucial to assuring the printability of formulations, although a clear relationship between these properties and printability has not been studied in depth. In addition, an understanding of the mechanical properties of 3D-printed food is crucial for consumer satisfaction, as they are related to the texture of food products. In 3D-printing technologies, each manufacturing parameter has an impact on the resulting mechanical properties; therefore, a thorough characterization of these parameters is necessary prior to the consumption of any 3D-printed food. This review focuses on the rheological and mechanical properties of printed food materials by exploring cutting-edge research working towards developing printed food for personalized nutrition.

Technological Changes in Wheat-Based Breads Enriched with Hemp Seed Press Cakes and Hemp Seed Grit

Hemp and hemp seed press cake—a by-product of hemp oil production—are high-protein, gluten-free raw materials that are often used to enhance the nutritional value of breads. The addition of hemp materials, however, often negatively impacts the technological parameters of breads. Consequently, this study investigated whether and how much the addition of various by-products of hemp seed press cakes to wheat bread mixtures adversely affects the texture and colour profile. The texture profile and colour were determined using a texture analyser and tristimulus measurements. The particle size of raw materials was also measured. Principal component analysis was then used to visualise the correlation between all measured values as well as nutritional parameters. The results showed that the addition of only 1% of some hemp raw materials caused significant technological changes (p > 0.05). Hemp raw materials increased bread hardness and decreased elasticity. The colour of breads containing 1% hemp was also visibly darker than the reference bread. The addition of more hemp led to further darkening and the deterioration of the technological parameters of the products. Consequently, while various hemp materials have high nutritional value, a balance with sensory properties, e.g., textural and colour, has to be reached.

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

Three-dimensional food printing (3DFP) uses additive manufacturing concepts to fabricate customized designed products with food ingredients in powder, liquid, dough, or paste presentations. In some cases, it uses additives, such as hydrocolloids, starch, enzymes, and antibrowning agents. Chocolate, cheese, sugar, and starch-based materials are among the most used ingredients for 3DFP, and there is a broad and growing interest in meat-, fruit-, vegetable-, insect-, and seaweed-based alternative raw materials. Here, we reviewed the most recent published information related to 3DFP for novel uses, including personalized nutrition and health-oriented applications, such as the use of 3D-printed food as a drug vehicle, and four-dimensional food printing (4DFP). We also reviewed the use of this technology in aesthetic food improvement, which is the most popular use of 3DFP recently. Finally, we provided a prospective and perspective view of this technology. We also reflected on its multidisciplinary character and identified aspects in which social and regulatory affairs must be addressed to fulfill the promises of 3DFP in human health improvement.

3D food printing: Applications of plant-based materials in extrusion-based food printing

As an emerging digital production technology, 3D food printing intends to meet the demand for customized food design, personalized nutrition, simplification of the food supply chain system, and greater food material diversity. Most 3D food printing studies focus on the development of materials for extrusion-based food printing. Plant-based foods are essential for a healthy diet, and they are growing in popularity as their positive effects on human health gain wider recognition. The number of original studies on plant-based printable materials has increased significantly in the past few years. Currently, there is an absence of a comprehensive systematic review on the applications of plant-based materials in extrusion-based food printing. Thus, this review aims to provide a more intuitive overview and guidance for future research on 3D printing of plant-based materials. The requirements, classifications, and binding mechanisms of extrusion-based food printing materials are first summarized. Additionally, notable recent achievements and emerging trends involving the use of plant-based materials in extrusion-based food printing are reviewed across three categories, namely, hot-melt (e.g., chocolate), hydrogel, and soft (e.g., cereal- and fruit/vegetable-based) materials. Finally, the challenges facing 3D food printing technology as well as its future prospects are discussed.

Advancements in 3D food printing: a comprehensive overview of properties and opportunities

3D printing has numerous applications in the food industry that may enhance diversity, quality, healthiness, and sustainability. This innovative additive manufacturing technology has the ability to specifically tailor food properties for individuals. Nevertheless, several challenges still need to be overcome before 3D printing can be utilized more widely in the food industry. This article focuses on the development and characterization of "food inks" suitable for 3D printing of foods. Specifically, the main factors impacting successfully printed foods are highlighted, including material properties and printing parameters. The creation of a 3D printed food with the appropriate quality and functional attributes requires understanding and control of these factors. Food ink printability is an especially important factor that depends on their composition, structure, and physicochemical properties. Previous studies do not sufficiently describe the precise design and operation of 3D printers in sufficient detail, which makes comparing results challenging. Additionally, important physicochemical characteristics utilized in traditional food are not consistently reported in 3D inks, such as moisture content, water activity, and microbial contamination, which limits the practical application of the results. For this reason, we highlight important factors impacting 3D ink formulation and performance, then provide suggestions for standardizing and optimizing 3D printed foods.

Novel evaluation technology for the demand characteristics of 3D food printing materials: a review

As a recently developed way of food manufacturing - 3D printing - is bringing about a revolution in the food industry. Rheological and mechanical properties of food material being printed are the determinants of their printability. Therefore, it is important to analyze the requirements of different 3D printing technologies on material properties and to evaluate the performance of the printed materials. In this review, the printing characteristics and classification of food materials are discussed. The four commonly used 3D printing techniques e.g. extrusion-based printing, selective sintering printing (SLS), binder jetting, and inkjet printing, are outlined along with suitable material characteristics required for each printing technique. Finally, recent technologies for evaluation of 3D printed products including low field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR), computer numerical simulation, applied reference material, morphological identification, and some novel instrumental analysis techniques are highlighted.

Current Status in the Utilization of Biobased Polymers for 3D Printing Process: A Systematic Review of the Materials, Processes, and Challenges

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a revolutionary additive manufacturing technique that allows rapid prototyping of objects with intricate architectures. This Review covers the recent state-of-the-art of biopolymers (protein and carbohydrate-based materials) application in pharmaceutical, bioengineering, and food printing and main reinforcement approaches of biomacromolecular structure for the development of 3D constructs. Some perspectives and main important limitations with the biomaterials utilization for advanced 3D printing procedures are also provided. Because of the improved the ink's flow behavior and enhance the mechanical strength of resulting printed architectures, biopolymers are the most used materials for 3D printing applications. Biobased polymers by taking advantage of modifying the ink viscosity could improve the resolution of deposited layers, printing precision, and consequently, develop well-defined geometries. In this regard, the rheological properties of printable biopolymeric-based inks and factors affecting ink flow behavior related to structural properties of printed constructs are discussed. On the basis of successful applications of biopolymers in 3D printing, it is suggested that other biomacromolecules and nanoparticles combined with the matrix can be introduced into the ink dispersions to enhance the multifunctionality of 3D structures. Furthermore, tuning the biopolymer's structural properties offers the most common and essential approach to attain the printed architectures with precisely tailored geometry. We finish the Review by giving a viewpoint of the upcoming 3D printing process and recognize some of the existing bottlenecks facing the blossoming 3D pharmaceutical, bioengineering, and food printing applications.

Rheological and mechanical properties of edible gel materials for 3D food printing technology

3D food printing sectors require comprehensive knowledge on viscoelastic and mechanical properties of diverse food materials in order to effectively utilize them in rapid and customized 3D production for supply and manufacturing chains. In this work, we present mechanical and rheological properties of Agar and Konjac based edible gels at different Agar and Konjac weight ratio and discuss their 3D printing performance. Gel samples with higher Konjac content positively contributed to the viscoelastic properties of the gel samples which in return has been found viable for extrusion-based 3D printing. By choosing appropriate printing parameters, different shapes are printed to demonstrate printing resolution. We expect, this study will add potential scope for evaluating and optimizing soft-gel materials for 3D food printing sector.

3D food printing: paving way towards novel foods

3D food printing, a part of additive manufacturing technique is used to modify the process of the food manufacturing in terms of color, shape, flavor, texture and nutrition. It liberates the user to identify and modify their meal according to one's desire, matching to the very minute details. Currently, it is used in decorating and fabricating, food products such as chocolate, cookies and cakes. The process of printing foods depends on several factors such as the physical state of food (whether powder, liquid or semi-solid), size and shape of the syringes to be used and the composition of the ingredients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Apart from the use of 3D food printing for fabrication, it can also play an important role in solving malnutrition by enhancing the nutritional profile of the meal. The objective of this review is to highlight the different methods used in 3D food printing, 3D food printers, benefits of 3D food printing and challenges faced while food printing. Moreover, the paper discusses the applications of 3D food printing and its scope in the near future.

Extending Cellulose-Based Polymers Application in Additive Manufacturing Technology: A Review of Recent Approaches

The materials for additive manufacturing (AM) technology have grown substantially over the last few years to fulfill industrial needs. Despite that, the use of bio-based composites for improved mechanical properties and biodegradation is still not fully explored. This limits the universal expansion of AM-fabricated products due to the incompatibility of the products made from petroleum-derived resources. The development of naturally-derived polymers for AM materials is promising with the increasing number of studies in recent years owing to their biodegradation and biocompatibility. Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer that possesses many favorable properties to be incorporated into AM materials, which have been continuously focused on in recent years. This critical review discusses the development of AM technologies and materials, cellulose-based polymers, cellulose-based three-dimensional (3D) printing filaments, liquid deposition modeling of cellulose, and four-dimensional (4D) printing of cellulose-based materials. Cellulose-based AM material applications and the limitations with future developments are also reviewed.

Comparison of 3D printed and molded carrots produced with gelatin, guar gum and xanthan gum

This study examined the effects of different hydrocolloids (guar gum, xanthan gum and gelatin) on the sensory and textural properties of pureed carrots. There were eight products involved in the study; 3D printed carrots and molded carrots without the addition of gums and with guar gum, xanthan gum and gelatin. All products were evaluated using trained panelists (n = 12) and underwent a texture profile analysis. No significant differences were found between the molded and 3D printed pureed carrots; instead, the samples were grouped based on the gum used in their production. The samples made with gelatin and xanthan gum were the hardest (texture profile analysis) and the densest samples when evaluated by the trained panelists. The 3D printing did not affect the taste properties of the pureed carrots, as they were evaluated to be similar to that of the molded carrots (p > .05). This study demonstrated that 3D printing did not affect the textural and sensory properties of pureed carrots when compared to molded carrots. However, changes in the printing parameters (infill percentage, nozzle diameter, flow rate, nozzle height) need to be evaluated to determine their effect on the sensory properties of 3D printed pureed carrots.

Norton I, Mills T. How to Formulate for Structure and Texture via Medium of Additive Manufacturing-A Review

Additive manufacturing, which is also known as 3D printing, is an emerging and growing technology. It is providing significant innovations and improvements in many areas such as engineering, production, medicine, and more. 3D food printing is an area of great promise to provide an indulgence or entertaining experience, personalized food product, or specific nutritional needs. This paper reviews the additive manufacturing methods and materials in detail as well as their advantages and disadvantages. After a full discussion of 3D food printing, the reports on edible printed materials are briefly presented and discussed. In the end, the current and future outlook of additive manufacturing in the food industry is shown.

3D printing of food: pretreatment and post-treatment of materials

BACKGROUND

Food 3 D printing is an emerging food processing technology. Due to the advantages of functionalization, customization, personalized nutrition design, simplified supply chain and broadening existing food materials, 3 D printing has been extensively studied in the food sector in the past decade. Many factors influence the accuracy and quality of food 3 D printing, which are also the challenges to researchers. Currently, most of the research focuses on the development of printable materials and control of printing parameters to improve the printing accuracy and product quality. However, the influence of material pretreatment methods and post-processing techniques on food 3 D printing have received less attention.

MAIN CONTENT

By collecting the available data and research, this paper analyzes the effect of pretreatment technologies (crushing, gelation, etc.) and post-treatment technologies (cooking, drying, fast cooling technology, 4 D printing, etc.) on the accuracy and shape fidelity of 3 D printed food products. It also summarizes the current challenges of food 3 D printing and proposes some thoughts on the future development of this technology.

A Methodology to Assess the Suitability of Food Processing Technologies for Distributed Localised Manufacturing

Food processing technology research and development activities have historically been driven by large-scale manufacture upscaling drivers to profit from economies of scale. Increasing demand for high-quality food with pioneering texture profiles, consumer needs for personalised products impacting product formulation (i.e., fat, sugar and micronutrient content), and constrained availability of ingredients and resources are pressuring industrialists to utilise alternative technologies to enable a more sustainable food supply. Distributed and localised food manufacturing (DLM) has been identified as a promising strategy towards future sustainable systems with technology representing one of its cornerstones. Innovative methods and tools to support the selection of the best alternative technologies for DLM are required. This paper provides an overview of food processing technologies and includes a novel classification created to support future assessments. A novel qualitative assessment method encompassing multiple criteria to understand specific food technologies suitability for future DLM systems is presented. Finally, research benefits are explored through the application of the assessment method to several selected technologies with promising potential in future food manufacturing. The results demonstrate that this methodological approach can assist in the adoption of DLM food systems through the selection of the best technologies integrating individual manufacturer requirements.

Enhancing cellulose functionalities by size reduction using media-mill

This study explored the feasibility of enhancing cellulose functionalities by using media milling to reduce the size of cellulose particles, and assayed various physicochemical and physiological properties of the resulting cellulose. Cellulose has been recognized as dietary fiber by USFDA due to its health benefits. However, its properties like low degradability, stiff texture, and insolubility in water limits its applicability in foods. Milling reduced the volume mean size of cellulose from 25.7 μm to 0.9 μm, which in turn increased the specific surface area (36.78-fold), and swelling capacity (9-fold). Conversely, a reduction in the bulk density (1.41 to 1.32 g/mL) and intrinsic viscosity (165.64 to 77.28 mL/g) were found. The milled cellulose also had significantly enhanced capacity for holding water and binding bile acids and sugars. Moreover, the size reduction also resulted in increased fermentability of cellulose into short chain fatty acids using three human fecal microflora samples. The increase in production of acetate (2880.60%), propionate (2738.52%), and butyrate (2865.89%) after fermentation of cellulose for 24 h were significantly enhanced by size reduction. With these improved characteristics, the milled cellulose might have beneficial physiological effects including laxation as well as reduced blood cholesterol and glucose attenuation.