Open Access3D food printing as a promising tool for food fabrication: 3D printing of chocolate
Author(s) -
M. Sylvester,
Bhesh Bhandari,
Bhesh Bhandari
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
food research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.218
H-Index - 7
ISSN - 2550-2166
DOI - 10.26656/fr.2017.4(s6).054
Subject(s) - 3d printing , 3d printed , dark chocolate , 3d printer , materials science , infill , food science , composite material , chemistry , biomedical engineering , mechanical engineering , engineering , structural engineering
The optimisation of printing dark chocolate was investigated, which included 3D printermodification. The modification comprises development of custom printer bed an inbuiltwater recirculation system with a slow flow rate of 6.3 mL/s to avoid vibration.Additionally, a fan was attached to enhance the solidification of chocolate. It was foundthat 32°C was the optimal condition of chocolate melting and this temperature was appliedin the printing process. The addition of the support structure on the mechanical propertiesof chocolate such as cross and parallel support structures printed in a hexagonal shape wasalso investigated. Findings indicated that the cross support increased the stability andstrength (57.5±4.8 N) of chocolate more than the chocolate printed with parallel support(50.5±2.7 N) and without any support structure (12.6±6.1 N). Different infill structures(infill pattern and percentage) can contribute to the textural modification of 3D printedchocolate. The appearance of the 3DP construction was vital as this modality caninfluence the acceptability of the product. Sensory analysis was conducted among 30 semi-trained panellists. Most participants favoured the appearance of sample 3DP100%_IP(1.33) to those of samples 3DP25%_IP (2.00) and 3DP50%_IP (2.67). On the texturalperspectives, consumers indicated their potential preferences on chocolate printed with25% infill percentage. Similar results from consumer paired-preference test were obtained.These results suggested that consumer realised the potential of 3D printing for texturalmodification.