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Review
. 2021 Oct 15;13(10):3617.
doi: 10.3390/nu13103617.

3D Food Printing: Principles of Obtaining Digitally-Designed Nourishment

Rodica-Anita Varvara  1 , Katalin Szabo  1   2 , Dan Cristian Vodnar  1   2
Affiliations
Review

3D Food Printing: Principles of Obtaining Digitally-Designed Nourishment

Rodica-Anita Varvara et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Three-dimensional printing (3DP) technology gained significance in the fields of medicine, engineering, the food industry, and molecular gastronomy. 3D food printing (3DFP) has the main objective of tailored food manufacturing, both in terms of sensory properties and nutritional content. Additionally, global challenges like food-waste reduction could be addressed through this technology by improving process parameters and by sustainable use of ingredients, including the incorporation of recovered nutrients from agro-industrial by-products in printed nourishment. The aim of the present review is to highlight the implementation of 3DFP in personalized nutrition, considering the technology applied, the texture and structure of the final product, and the integrated constituents like binding/coloring agents and fortifying ingredients, in order to reach general acceptance of the consumer. Personalized 3DFP refers to special dietary necessities and can be promising to prevent different non-communicable diseases through improved functional food products, containing bioactive compounds like proteins, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and/or probiotics.

Keywords: 3D food printing; binding agents; by-products; coloring agents; fortifying constituents; personalized nutrition.

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Conflict of interest statement

We wish to confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Concept figures for 3DFP technologies.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Different support structures of 3DP dark chocolate objects. Source: Three model designs of printed 3D chocolates; (a) hexagonal shape with cross-support; (b) hexagonal shape with parallel support; and (c) hexagonal shape with no support (Mantihal et al., 2017).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Chemical structures and sources of natural anthocyanins used in the food sector.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Nutrient list indicated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that may be added to functional food products. Legend: RDI = Reference Daily Intake for adults and children of 4 or more years of age; g = gram; IU = international unit; mg = milligram; and [micro]g = microgram. Source: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFSearch.cfm?fr=104.20 accessed on 5 July 2021.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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