Paper Number
PO82                         My Program 

Session
Poster Session

Title
Rheological properties and printability of plant-based emulsions: Towards high-quality 3D printed meat analogs

Presentation Date and Time
October 16, 2024 (Wednesday) 6:30

Track / Room
Poster Session / Waterloo 3 & 4

Authors (Click on name to view author profile)

  1. Caron, Elise (Ghent University, Department of Materials, Textiles and Chemical Engineering)
  2. Alicke, Alexandra (Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering)
  3. Van de Walle, Davy (Ghent University, Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health)
  4. Dewettinck, Koen (Ghent University)
  5. Marchesini, Flavio H. (Ghent University, Department of Materials, Textiles and Chemical Engineering)

Author and Affiliation Lines (in printed abstract book)
Elise Caron1, Alexandra Alicke2, Davy Van de Walle3, Koen Dewettinck3 and Flavio H. Marchesini1
1Department of Materials, Textiles and Chemical Engineering, Ghent University, Zwijnaarde 9052, Belgium; 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands; 3Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium

Speaker / Presenter 
Caron, Elise

Keywords
additve manufacturing; emulsions; interfacial rheology

Text of Abstract
Recently, research on 3D food printing (3DFP) to produce meat analogs has emerged. In particular, adipose tissue can be mimicked by a high internal phase emulsion ink. However, stabilizing multiphasic food products with plant-based proteins as stabilizers instead of conventional animal proteins still faces some challenges. The main reason is believed to be the inferior performance of plant proteins at the interface as they exhibit lower aqueous solubility thus form weaker viscoelastic films. Therefore, the formulation and long-term stability of plant-based emulsions during processing conditions such as during 3DFP need further investigation. This work aims at (i) understanding the stabilization of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions with plant-based proteins, (ii) extracting interfacial and bulk rheological data to enhance the rheological comprehension, and (iii) evaluating the printability and long-term stability of the emulsions. O/W emulsions with soybean oil/water content of 80/20 were formulated where the water phase concerns a soy protein isolate (SPI) dispersion. The SPI dispersions were stirred overnight and water bath and ultrasonic treatments were performed to investigate the effect on the emulsion stability. The same protocol was used to formulate all emulsions and the samples were stored after printing to analyze their stability. Mainly time sweep and flow curves were assessed interfacially between the oil and water phase, whereas amplitude sweeps and flow curves were assessed for the emulsions. This resulted in data describing yielding, shear-thinning, and viscoelastic behavior of the bulk and interface. The stable emulsions were 3D-printed and the stability during and after printing was evaluated. In summary, this work provides insight into the (interfacial) rheological properties of plant-based O/W emulsions to assess their long-term-stability and printability. The reported findings acknowledge the importance of rheology and can pave the way to include novel lipid-rich in 3D-printed plant-based meat.