Quantifying the differences in structure and mechanical response of confectionery products resulting from the baking and extrusion processes

3D food printing improves color profile and structural properties of the derived novel whole-grain sourdough and malt biscuits

Presentation of foods is essential to promote the acceptance of diversified and novel products. This study examined the color profile, browning index (BI), and structural properties of 3D-printed and traditional biscuits from whole-grain (WG) sourdough and germinated flours. The processed flours and composite/multigrain flours comprising cowpea sourdough (CS) and quinoa malt (QM) were used to prepare the snacks, and their structural characteristics were determined. Compared with the traditional biscuits, the 3D-printed biscuits showed considerable distinction in terms of consistent structural design and color intensities. The in-barrel shearing effect on dough biopolymers, automated printing of replicated dough strands in layers, and expansion during baking might have caused the biscuits’ structural differences. The composite biscuit formulations had a proportional share of CS and QM characteristics. The 80% CS and 20% QM printed biscuit had a low redness and BI, increased cell volume, average cell area, and total concavity. The 60% CS and 40% QM printed snack showed improved lightness and yellowness, increased average cell elongation, and less hardness. The 3D-printed composite biscuits may be recommended based on their unique structural characteristics. Such attributes can enhance the acceptability of printed foods and reinvent locally prepared meals as trendy, sustainable, and functional foods.

Principles and Guidelines for In-Line Viscometry in Cereal Extrusion

In the food industry, extrusion cooking finds numerous applications thanks to its high productivity and nutrient retention. More specifically, cereal extrusion, e.g., for savory snacks and breakfast products has an important market share. For such applications, rheology, which addresses viscous and elastic contributions, plays an important role in developing, optimizing, and controlling the extrusion manufacturing technique. In this context, conventional off-line rheometers are not ideal for providing data, as the goal is to replicate the exact thermomechanical history to which the food is subjected in the extrusion process. Hence, to achieve reliable analyses, in-line viscometers that have mostly been tested using oil-based polymers were introduced. Biopolymers (e.g., starch), however, are highly sensitive to both heat and mechanical degradation, and the viscometer design has to be adapted accordingly to produce an accurate measurement. Alongside a discussion of the different designs available, this review will address the most common methodologies for measuring the steady shear viscosity, extensional viscosity, and the first normal stress difference for food applications, providing researchers in the biopolymer and food engineering fields with a general introduction to this emerging topic.

Discrete Element Method Modelling of the Diametral Compression of Starch Agglomerates

Starch agglomerates are widely applied in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, and food industries. The formation of potato starch tablets and their diametral compression were simulated numerically and verified in a laboratory experiment to analyse the microscopic mechanisms of the compaction and the origins of their breakage strength. Discrete element method (DEM) simulations were performed using EDEM software. Samples comprised of 120,000 spherical particles with radii normally distributed in the range of 5–36 μm were compacted in a cylindrical die with a diameter of 2.5 cm. The linear elastic–plastic constitutive contact model with a parallel bonded-particle model (BPM) was used to model the diametral compression. DEM simulations indicated that the BPM, together with the linear elastic–plastic contact model, could describe the brittle, semi-brittle, or ductile breakage mode, depending on the ratio of the strength to Young’s modulus of the bond and the bond-to-contact elasticity ratio. Experiments confirmed the findings of the DEM simulations and indicated that potato starch (PS) agglomerates can behave as a brittle, semi-brittle, or ductile material, depending on the applied binder. The PS agglomerates without any additives behaved as a semi-brittle material. The addition of 5% of ground sugar resulted in the brittle breakage mode. The addition of 5% gluten resulted in the ductile breakage mode.

INVESTIGATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF GLYCERIN ON RHEOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MARZIPAN PASTES WITH DRY MINERALIZED WHEY

There is studied the influence of glycerin on rheological characteristics of marzipan pastes with dry demineralized whey (DDW) for determining its rational concentration in the composition of decorative semi-products PKV and MFV. PKV – marzipan pastes with DDW, used for covering confectionary products and as an interlayer; MFV – marzipan pastes with DDW, used for making candies and modeling figured products. According to research results, it has been established, that an increase of a glycerin concentration in the composition of model mixtures of marzipan pastes PKV (20 % of DDW) and MFV (30 % of DDW) results in decreasing deformation characteristics of a reversible type. Irreversible deformation is constant and doesn’t depend on glycerin concentration. According to results of the analysis of main rheological constants by a diapason of glycerin concentrations, there has been established a gradual decrease of indices of a highly elastic and conventionally instant resilience module of model compositions of marzipan pastes PKV (20 % of DDW) and MFV (30 % of DDW). Viscosity indices of a resilient aftereffect and pliability gradually grow with an increase of a glycerin concentration in the composition of model marzipan pastes PKV (20 % of DDW) and MFV (30 % of DDW). Research results testify that the use of glycerin in the composition of marzipan pastes PKV (20 % of DDW) and MFV (30 % of DDW) gives a possibility to increase their elasticity and softness, at that keeping high forming properties. The conducted studies have proved the availability of producing marzipan pastes with DDW and glycerin. There has been substantiated the rational content of glycerin in the composition of marzipan pastes with DDW that allows to provide given (desirable) rheological characteristics. The rational concentration of glycerin in the composition of marzipan pastes PKV (20 % of DDW), used for covering floury and confectionary products and as an interlayer is 5 % of the total mass of recipe components. The rational concentration of glycerin in the composition of marzipan pastes MFV (30 % of DDW), used for making candies, modeling figured products is 5 % of the total mass of recipe components. An improved technological solution doesn’t complicate the general technological process and doesn’t need the additional technical equipment. Rheological characteristics of the developed marzipan pastes correspond to directions of the technological destination and allow to decorate floury confectionary products with different levels of technological complication, providing the maximal beauty of ready products.