Formulation of Heat-Induced Whey Protein Gels for Extrusion-Based 3D Printing

Valeska F. Sager, Merete B. Munk, Mikka Stenholdt Hansen, Wender L. P. Bredie, Lilia Ahrné*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

25 Citations (Scopus)
49 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This study investigated the extrusion-based 3D printability of heat-induced whey protein gels as protein rich food inks. In particular, the effects of ionic strength by the addition of NaCl (0-250 mM), protein content (10%, 15%, 20%), fat content (0%, 10%), and partial substitution of whey protein isolate (WPI) with microparticulated whey protein (MWP) or micellar casein isolate (MCI) on printability were assessed. Texture analysis, specifically Young's modulus, rheological measurements including yield stress, and creep-recovery behavior were used to characterize the gels. Modifications of the formulation in terms of ionic strength, increased protein content, and the formation of emulsion gels were insufficient to maintain a continuous extrusion process or shape stability after printing. However, the substitution of WPI with MWP created more viscoeleastic gels with improved printability and shape retention of the 3D cube structure after deposition. The partial replacement of WPI with MCI led to phase separation and 3D-printed cubes that collapsed after deposition. A narrow range of rheological material properties make WPI and MWP emulsion gels promising food inks for extrusion-based 3D printing.

Original languageEnglish
Article number8
JournalFoods
Volume10
Issue number1
Number of pages13
ISSN2304-8158
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Keywords

  • extrusion-based 3D printing
  • emulsion gels
  • microparticulated whey protein
  • micellar casein isolate

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