Dual-Polysaccharide Reinforced Pickering Emulsion Gels for Tailoring Microstructure and Enhancing 3D Printing...

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Materials Science
• Colloid Science

Background:

• 3D food printing requires specialized materials for personalized fabrication.
• High internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPPEs) are promising printable food materials.
• Controlling emulsion properties is key to successful 3D food printing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop HIPPEs stabilized by whey protein isolate (WPI) with anionic (κ-carrageenan, κ-CA) and neutral (curdlan gum, CG) polysaccharides.
• To elucidate the specific roles of κ-CA and CG in modulating emulsion printability.
• To optimize HIPPE formulations for enhanced 3D food printing performance.

Main Methods:

• Formulation of binary (WPI/κ-CA) and ternary (WPI/κ-CA/CG) HIPPEs.
• Characterization of particle wettability using three-phase contact angle measurements.
• Rheological and textural analyses to assess printability, yield stress, and self-supporting capacity.
• Evaluation of 3D printing accuracy, structural integrity, and shape fidelity.

Main Results:

• Optimized ternary HIPPEs (1.2% κ-CA, 1.6% CG) showed enhanced oil-phase wettability (contact angle 86.22°).
• κ-CA concentration primarily influenced yield stress and self-supporting capacity.
• CG incorporation improved thixotropic recovery and printing accuracy.
• Optimized ternary HIPPEs demonstrated superior 3D printing accuracy and structural integrity compared to binary systems.

Conclusions:

• Anionic (κ-CA) and neutral (CG) polysaccharides play distinct yet complementary roles in HIPPEs for 3D food printing.
• This study provides a rational design strategy for high-performance food 3D-printing materials.
• The developed HIPPEs offer improved printability and structural fidelity for advanced food fabrication.