Tuesday, August 9, 2022
SCIENMAG: Latest Science and Health News
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag - Latest science news from science magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home SCIENCE NEWS Biology

Fancy a side of 3D printed carrots and crickets with your meal?

August 5, 2022
in Biology
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

As the global population continues to age and grow, the demand for protein-rich food is also expected to increase concurrently. This has also caused concerns on increasing greenhouse gases, land and water consumption associated with the conventional rearing of animals for food.

3D printed designs of protein inks

Credit: Credit to SUTD

As the global population continues to age and grow, the demand for protein-rich food is also expected to increase concurrently. This has also caused concerns on increasing greenhouse gases, land and water consumption associated with the conventional rearing of animals for food.

In some parts of Africa, Asia and South America, people have already been turning to alternative sources of proteins from insects, plants and algae for sustainable, nutrient-rich food. However, the idea of consuming insects might be an uncomfortable concept to digest for the rest of the world.

“The appearance and taste of such alternative proteins can be disconcerting for many. This is where the versatility of 3D food printing rises to the challenge as it can transform the way in which food is presented and overcome the inertia of consumer inhibitions,” explained Prof Chua Chee Kai, co-author from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

For instance, commonly known foods like carrots can be mixed with alternative proteins such as crickets to produce a more familiar taste to consumers. This mixture of carrots and crickets can then be extruded by a 3D food printer to create a visually appealing dish that would appeal to the senses. 

However, the combining of different food inks and optimising it for 3D food printing is known to be a laborious task as it is usually done using a trial and error-based approach.

Prof Chua and team from SUTD collaborated with researchers from Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) and University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) to devise a systematic engineering approach to efficiently incorporate alternative proteins into food inks. Using this approach for the optimisation of protein inks, the research team minimised time and resources by reducing experimental runs.

In their study, ‘Systematic Engineering approach for optimization of multi-component alternative protein-fortified 3D printing food Ink’ which was published in Food Hydrocolloids, the team used the established engineering technique, Response Surface Methodology, and applied it for use in 3D food printing.

Prof Yi Zhang, the principal investigator from UESTC explained: “Alternative proteins may become our main source of protein intake in the future. This study proposes a systematic engineering approach of optimising food inks, thereby enabling easy creations and customisations of visually pleasing, flavourful and nutritionally adequate food enhanced with alternative proteins. We hope our work would encourage consumers to eat more of these unfamiliar, but sustainable food items”.

The research team used the central composite design approach to optimise the protein ink formulations having three variables – carrot powder, proteins and xanthan gum. Carrot powder helped provide mechanical strength as well as taste, nutrients and colour to the formulated inks.

Meanwhile, they experimented with alternative proteins such as soy, spirulina, cricket, black soldier fly larvae and sericin. Formulated inks were tested experimentally for 3D printability and syneresis with optimised inks achieving maximum printability and minimal syneresis.

Aakanksha Pant, corresponding author of the paper and Research Associate from SUTD added: “This research study can also be generalised for other food ingredients and response of the food inks like texture, printability, water seepage may be included for optimisation. The response surface method approach may lead researchers to adopt similar method for optimising 3DFP food inks constituting complex multicomponent food ingredients.”



Journal

Food Hydrocolloids

DOI

10.1016/j.foodhyd.2022.107803

Article Title

Systematic Engineering approach for optimization of multi-component alternative protein-fortified 3D printing food Ink

Article Publication Date

1-Oct-2022

Tags: carrotscricketsfancymealprintedside
Share26Tweet16Share4ShareSendShare
  • Quaise_Energy_Gyrotron.png

    Experts optimistic about converting coal plants to production of clean geothermal energy

    75 shares
    Share 30 Tweet 19
  • New flavored nicotine gums, lozenges, and gummies rank second among nicotine products used by U.S. teens

    68 shares
    Share 27 Tweet 17
  • Robotic motion in curved space defies standard laws of physics

    65 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
  • The walk of Japanese children develops differently from children in other countries

    64 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
  • Coarse sea spray keeps lightning strikes away

    64 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
  • What part of a space rock survives to the ground?

    64 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
ADVERTISEMENT

About us

We bring you the latest science news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Latest NEWS

Can an algorithm teach scientists to write better quantum computer programs?

Experts optimistic about converting coal plants to production of clean geothermal energy

The North American Menopause Society releases its 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 192 other subscribers

© 2022 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US

© 2022 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In