Food and Nutrition Science

Biography

Biography: Bianca Chieregato Maniglia

Abstract

3D printing aims to build a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design model. This additive manufacturing technology has been successfully applied in diverse sectors, such as biomedical, aerospace, construction and food. In the food field, 3D printing is able to create personalized foods based on specific properties related to nutritional needs, calorie intake, shape, texture, color or specific flavor, for example. This technique allows for mass production and, at the same time, brings economic and environmental benefits. Currently, four types of 3D food printing technology have been explored: extrusion, inkjet, blasting of binders and selective sintering. Different process parameters and food composition have been explored. In the literature, the most investigations focus on improving the quality of printed food resolution, while few studies focus on developing technology that will provide access to large-scale production systems. This presentation will address the main recent researches in the field of 3D food printing, including work done by our group that evaluates the use of hydrogels based on functional starches (cassava and wheat) to improve the 3D printability. Another point that will be addressed, are the future perspectives of this technology. For example, more recently, printing (4D) appeared; it adds to the (3D) printing, a transformation of the printed material over time.