Investigation of the mechanism of casein protein to enhance 3D printing accuracy of cassava starch gel

This work evaluated the potential mechanism of casein protein (CP) in enhancing the 3D printing performance of cassava starch (CS) gel in terms of the multi-scale structure of starch and gel properties. The addition of CP could increase the average molecular weight (-Rh) of starch after thermal processing, which reduced the line width and increased the centre height of the 3D-printed product, despite the reduction of the structural recovery of the gel system. In addition, the increase in CS content caused a decrease in the short-range ordered structure of starch, resulting in a decline in relaxation time and an increase in free water content (A23), which in turn provided the gel system with a greater elastic modulus and ultimately increased the printing precision of 3D printed products. This study presented meaningful information for the application of 3D printing to starch-protein complex foods.