https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9130-8304
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ABSTRACT
The ability to design complex infill patterns is unique for 3D food printing to modulate food texture on top of other factors such as processing parameters and structural porosity. This study systematically investigated the impact of infill designs on the flexural properties of 3D-printed snack bars made from pea ingredients. Three-point bending tests revealed that increasing infill angle from 30 to 90 degree resulted in a larger flexural strength but a smaller flexural elongation of the 3D-printed snack bars. However, crossed layer structures did not improve the flexural properties of the samples. Digital image correlation revealed deformation behaviour and fracture propagation of 3D-printed snack bars during mechanical tests. Using the strain maps generated, the designs of the 3D-printed snack bars were modulated to achieve desired flexural properties. Overall, this study shows that it is feasible to customise 3D-printed food texture while maintaining its total calorie, by modifying the infill design.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Miek Schlangen from Wageningen University for detailed discussions on digital image correlation. The authors also appreciate technical assistance from Maaike Nieuwland on X-ray tomography. The X-ray tomography equipment used in this study is owned by Shared Research Facilities and subsidised by Ministry of Economic Affairs and the province of Gelderland, the Netherlands.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
The data obtained from this study are available from the corresponding author, LZ, upon reasonable request.