Regulatory mechanisms governing collagen peptides and their 3D printing application for frozen surimi

Myofibrillar proteins (MPs) are important to the gel formation that occurs in frozen surimi. Importantly, their unique gel-forming ability indicates that surimi may be a promising material for use in 3D printing. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of collagen peptides on the cryoprotection of MPs during freeze-thaw (FT) cycles and the subsequent printability of surimi. The results showed that the collagen peptide had both protective and destructive actions during the tested FT cycles. The addition of 1.0% collagen peptide provided significant cryoprotection to the MPs. This addition effectively maintained the structural stability of MPs while also weakening FT effects on bound water and its mobility. We also assessed the rheological and 3D-printing characteristics of surimi with 1.0% collagen peptide. The rheological results indicated that the surimi with collagen peptides had better characteristics, including shear-thinning behavior, better recovery, and improved mechanical properties. Combined with the actual printing effect, materials with good shear-thinning behavior, high apparent viscosity, and high recovery might be more suitable for 3D printing. Moreover, the high G' contributed to good structural maintenance after printing. Collectively, these results indicated that collagen peptide may serve as a new, low-sugar cryoprotectant for use in surimi. Moreover, that its use would result in a healthier system that has increased stability, precision, and formability with applications in extrusion-based 3D printing. The results of this study provide theoretical reference for the development of new surimi materials with freezing stability and good 3D printing performance. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study confirmed the protective action of 1.0% collagen peptides for surimi and the contribution of it to well printing precision and structure maintenance for 3D printing, providing a firm foundation for the use of collagen peptide as a low-sugar cryoprotectant and developed a new type of surimi as a food material for 3D printing.