METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AN EDIBLE OBJECT BY POWDER BED (3D) PRINTING AND FOOD PRODUCTS OBTAINABLE THEREWITH

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for the production of an edible object, comprising providing an edible powder composition and at least one edible liquid, wherein the edible powder composition comprises a water soluble protein, a hydrocolloid and a plasticizer, and subjecting said composition to powder bed printing by depositing the edible liquid by spraying it onto the powder and thereby obtaining the edible object. Also food products obtainable with the method of the invention, particularly, a pasta, a cake object and a protein bar are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for the production of an edible object, comprising providing an edible powder composition and at least one edible liquid, wherein the edible powder composition comprises a water soluble protein, a hydrocolloid and a plasticizer, and subjecting said composition to powder bed printing by depositing the edible liquid onto the powder in layer-wise manner and thereby obtaining the edible object.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the edible powder composition comprises at least 0.1 wt. % of the hydrocolloid, based on the total dry weight of the composition.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the water soluble protein is selected from the list consisting of albumin, whey, casein, ovalbumin, gelatin and mixtures thereof.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hydrocolloid is a polysaccharide selected from the list consisting of guar gum, locust bean gum, gum arabic, konjac gum, carrageenan gum, alginates, agar, gellan gum, pullulan, xanthan gum, cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose, mannans, galactomannans, xyloglucans, glucomannans, arabinoxylans, -glucan, arabinogalactan, pectins, fructans, chitin and mixtures thereof.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plasticizer has the lowest glass transition temperature of all the components of the edible powder composition.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plasticizer is selected from a polysaccharide, a disaccharide, a trisaccharide, protein hydrolysates, egg white protein, or a mixture thereof.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the edible powder composition further comprises a filler selected from the list consisting of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and mixtures thereof.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the filler comprises a lipid selected from the list consisting of vegetable derived lipids, animal derived lipids and mixtures thereof.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the filler comprises a carbohydrate selected from the list consisting of flour, semolina, starch, maltodextrin, cyclodextrins, sucrose, dextrose, derivatives thereof and mixtures thereof.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the filler comprises a protein selected from the list consisting of dairy derived proteins, plant derived proteins, animal derived proteins and mixtures thereof.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the edible powder composition comprises 60-90 wt. % whey protein, 5-20 wt. % egg white protein, 1-10 wt. % polydextrose, 0.1-5 wt. % xanthan gum, wherein the whey protein is optionally replaced by maltodextrin for 10-90 wt. %.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one edible liquid comprises water and/or oil.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the edible powder composition is a free-flowing powder.

14. A food product comprising the edible object obtainable by the method of claim 1.

15. The food product according to claim 14, being pasta, a confectionary product, a protein bar, a meat replacement product or a gel.

Description

EXAMPLES

Example 1

3D Printing of Pasta

[0042] Formulation includes:

[0043] 90 wt. % flour

[0044] 5 wt. % protein powder (albumin)

[0045] 5 wt. % guar gum

[0046] Liquid spray: water

[0047] Procedure:

[0048] A powder bed consisting of the abovementioned formulation is used in conjunction with a 3D printer platform (powder bed inkjet printer). The 3D printer then delivers liquid water via a nozzle head that is controlled by a computer. Upon delivery of the correct amount of water (10-70% dry basis), the powder bed formulation is consolidated into a solid pasta object that can be taken out of the powder bed immediately after printing. The freshly printed pasta may be cooked in boiling water immediately and then consumed. The printed pasta may also be dried to be consumed later. The printing of pasta from a powder bed formulation is shown in

[0049] FIG. 1. Top left: water is being sprayed on the powder bed; top right and bottom left: powder bed is consolidated into a pasta immediately; bottom right: consolidated pasta object can be taken out of the powder bed immediately.

[0050] FIG. 2 shows another example of a printed 3D pasta object.

Example 2

3D Printed Cake

[0051] Formulation:

[0052] 25 wt. % flour

[0053] 12 wt. % egg white powder

[0054] 15 wt. % shortening powder

[0055] 13 wt. % sugar

[0056] 2 wt. % maltodextrin

[0057] 0.4 wt. % sodium bicarbonate

[0058] 0.6 wt. % pyrophosphate

[0059] Liquid spray: Water 30% of the dry weight of the powder

[0060] Procedure:

[0061] The abovementioned formulation is used as the basis of the powder bed mixture. The powder bed is used in conjunction with a 3D printer which may consist of a number of nozzles (multi-nozzle powder bed printer). The 3D printer delivers the water (30%) dry weight of the powder bed used. In multi-nozzle printer, the fat and sugar can be omitted from the powder bed formulation and used as liquid sprays in the multi-nozzle powder bed printer. After the 3D shape is printed, the cake object that is produced can be readily taken out of the powder bed and baked using a conventional heating oven. In using a multi-nozzle printer, the effect is the modulation of texture and/or mouth feel from chewy to crispy.

[0062] FIG. 3 shows the cake production using 3D powder bed printing technology. Powder bed is consolidated layer by layer into desired 3D shape (top left and right). The cake structure that is produced can be taken out of the printer immediately after printing (middle left and right). The consolidated shape can be baked. Multi-textured 3D cake shapes can be obtained (bottom left and right).

Example 3

[0063] 3D Printed Protein Bar

[0064] Formulation 1:

[0065] 75% whey protein

[0066] 15% egg white powder

[0067] 7.5% polydextrose

[0068] 2.5% xanthan gum

[0069] Formulation 2:

[0070] Same as formulation 1, but instead of whey protein a mixture of whey protein with maltodextrin is used, in weight ratios whey protein : maltodextrin of 90:10, 70:30, 30:70 and 10:90.

[0071] Liquid spray: water in an amount 50 wt. % (for both formulations)

[0072] Formulation 1 without egg white powder resulted in an acceptable texture, however the appearance of the printed product shows a pattern of colour variations due to uneven wetting. Egg white powder was used to achieve even wetting.

[0073] The protein bar printed with formulation 1 shows intact edges, good consolidation and fully hydrated shape when printed. The obtained texture when printed is chewy/soft and ready-to-eat type. FIG. 4 shows the printed product with formulation 1. The texture however hardens after storage overnight.

[0074] Formulation 2 wherein part of whey protein was replaced with maltodextrin resulted in a protein bar with well defined edges and shape. The 10 and 90% samples produce dry, hard textures. The 30 and 70% samples produce rubbery, soft textures. FIG. 5 shows the printed product with formulation 2 with different protein:maltodextrin ratios. The textures of the products were retained overnight.