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December 9, 2021 --- With the rapid diversification of meat substitutes, Chinese food scientists are studying new mixtures of plant-based ingredients tailored for 3D printing. In a study reported by ACS Food Science & Technology, some of their most successful recipes require a heat-sensitive ingredient to help improve fluidity-cocoa butter.

Researchers Songbai Liu and Shanshan Wang used a 3D printer to test the soy and wheat protein in formulas containing several other ingredients. They set out to figure out a way to make meat "dough" from these mixtures, which can be efficiently produced by machines. 

Printing your food 3D printing is expanding its ability to provide texturing in meat substitutes, such as Redefine Meat's strong whole piece of plant meat, which is designed to truly "bleed".

The researchers evaluated their mixture based on how accurately the printer placed the dough and how well it retained its shape. They also checked its texture and microstructure.

Adding the right amount of cocoa butter, Tween-80 and sodium alginate, and Tween-80-an emulsifier, also known as polysorbate 80-was found to be "essential to achieving excellent 3D printing performance."

That's not cookie dough — it's a meat substitute, made using a 3D printer and plant-based ingredients, including cocoa butter (photo source: ACS Food Science & Technology). The role of cocoa butter in meat replacement applications. Heat-sensitive cocoa butter has proven to be a particularly important ingredient. It makes the dough more fluid at warm temperatures for printing, and then hardens at room temperature to keep the dough. Printing shape.

Studies have shown that the hydrogen bonding interaction of soy protein and gluten network helps ensure the basic fiber structure of the gel.

Researchers admit that some consumers cannot eat wheat gluten or soy due to allergies or celiac disease, so the researchers tried to replace soy protein with soy protein in peas. 

However, the resulting pea protein-based dough is too soft for printing and lacks the same structural integrity.

The authors of the study received funding from the National Key Research and Development Program of China, the Zhejiang Provincial Public Welfare Technology Research Program, the Qinghai Science and Technology Program, and the Zhejiang University R & F Food Science Research Institute Fund.

The new frontiers of food technology are increasingly interested in 3D printed food solutions to meet the industry's need to provide fast, scalable and sustainable food solutions.

In notable progress, engineers from the Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are working on 3D printing technology and software-controlled robotic lasers to assemble food.

MeaTech, headquartered in Israel, is using 3D bioprinting technology as an industrial process for producing artificial meat pieces, such as slaughter-free steaks or chicken breasts. Similarly, Shiok Meat in Singapore used 3D printing to successfully simulate the real taste of shrimp meat, which is based on cell simulation.

Elsewhere, researchers have found that soft dairy products can now be 3D printed at room temperature without adding any additives, thereby retaining their temperature-sensitive nutrients. This special application is aimed at patients with special dietary needs in the hospital.

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