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Formulation and Characterization of Edible Bigel Inks for Structuring Fat Alternatives in 3D-Printed Foods.
Konstantina Zampouni1, Theocharis Salamandrakis1, Triantafyllia Biza1
1Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 27, 2026
Summary
Bigel (BG) inks, combining oleogel and hydrogel, offer tunable properties for 3D food printing. Optimized ratios ensure good printability and shape fidelity for fat-reduced food structures.
Area of Science:
- Food Science and Technology
- Materials Science
- Rheology
Background:
- 3D food printing requires novel ink formulations with controlled rheological and structural properties.
- Bigels (BGs) present a promising biphasic system for extrusion-based 3D food printing.
- Developing tunable, fat-reduced inks is crucial for advancing food structuring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To formulate and characterize bigel (BG) inks by combining oleogel (OG) and hydrogel (HG) phases for 3D food printing.
- To investigate the effect of varying OG:HG ratios on the physical, microstructural, rheological, and thermal properties of BG inks.
- To assess the printability and shape fidelity of BG inks for potential applications in fat-reduced food structuring.
Main Methods:
- Formulation of BG inks with varying oleogel (OG) and hydrogel (HG) ratios (10:90 to 50:50).
- Characterization of appearance, microstructure, extrusion forces, rheological behavior (viscoelasticity, shear-thinning), and thermal properties.
- Evaluation of printability and shape fidelity based on structural recovery and yield/flow points.
Main Results:
- BG formulations exhibited stable biphasic systems without phase separation.
- Increasing OG content altered color and induced a transition to a bicontinuous structure at a 50:50 ratio.
- All inks displayed shear-thinning behavior and suitable viscoelastic properties for 3D printing.
- Intermediate OG content yielded moderate extrusion forces and improved structural recovery (up to ~60%), indicating good printability and shape fidelity.
- Thermal analysis confirmed the coexistence of OG and HG phases, ensuring structural integrity.
Conclusions:
- Bigel systems are tunable and suitable for creating fat-reduced 3D printed food structures.
- The OG:HG ratio significantly influences the microstructure, rheology, and printability of BG inks.
- Optimized BG formulations demonstrate potential as advanced food printing inks with desirable functional properties.
