Designing hydrocolloid based food-ink formulations for extrusion 3D printing

Cold extrusion 3D food printing is an emerging technology which enables the manufacture of food in different shapes and structures and offers huge potential for personalised food products. This study investigates rheological properties and printability (shape fidelity) of food-grade hydrocolloid pastes. From this study, it was found that if the phase angle is in the range of 3°–15° and the relaxation exponent is in the range of 0.03–0.13 the paste material is printable, which means that it can support its own-weight if printed. As the demand for inks for 3D printing increases, rheological measurements can rapidly assist with the development of new ink feedstocks.