Chickpea-based 3D food printing high-protein formulation: rheology and printability

Abstract

A study focused on the extrusion-based printability of extruded and non-extruded chickpea flours is presented in this thesis. This study covers the formulation of a chickpea based high-protein formulation intended for 3D food printing, assessing the effect of extrusion processing and omega-3-rich oil enrichment over the flours’ printability and rheological properties. Additionally, an open-source, printable standard method for any material’s image-based analysis is proposed and evaluated. Chapter 1 includes the motivation, problem statement, and context for this study. It also states the theoretical framework and state-of-the-art of plant-based printable formulations, 3D food printing techniques, and printability assessment methods. Chapter 2 deepens on the rheological concepts and functional parameters for a food ink to be printable. Chapter 3 details the hypothesis, objectives, and research plan followed through the development of the project. The short communication “Standard method proposal for 3D food prints picture-taking and dimensional accuracy deviation measurement” (Chapter 4) includes the development and usage of the image-capturing system proposed for replicable image-based analysis of the printing performance of any food ink. Chapter 5 consists of the manuscript “Chickpea-based 3D food printing high-protein formulation: rheology and printability”. Herein, the best formulation parameters for printing extruded and non-extruded chickpea flours are described, as well as detailing the effect of extrusion processing and omega-3 enrichment over the material’s functional properties. The abstract and acceptance letter for the oral presentation at IUFoST 2024 are included in Chapter 6. Finally, future work and conclusions are presented in Chapter 7. This thesis compiles the rheological properties of the chickpea flours used, as well as the successful printable profiles for their integration into more complex and nutritious formulations