Designing future foods: Harnessing 3D food printing technology to encapsulate bioactive compounds

Abstract

Bioactive compounds (BCs) provide numerous health benefits by interacting with one or more components of living tissues and systems. However, despite their potential health benefits, most of the BCs have low bioaccessibility and bioavailability, hindering their potential health-promoting activities. The conventional encapsulation techniques are time-consuming and have major limitations in their food applications, including the use of non-food grade chemicals, undesired sensory attributes, and storage stability issues. A cutting-edge, new technique based on 3D printing can assist in resolving the problems associated with conventional encapsulation technologies. 3D food printing can help protect BCs by incorporating them precisely into three-dimensional matrices, which can provide (i) protection during storage, (ii) enhanced bioavailability, and (iii) effective delivery and controlled release of BCs. Recently, various 3D printing techniques and inks have been investigated in order to create delivery systems with different compositions and geometries, as well as diverse release patterns. This review emphasizes the advances in 3D printing-based encapsulation approaches, leading to enhanced delivery systems and customized food formulations.

Graphical Abstract

HIGHLIGHTS

• Conventional techniques for encapsulating bioactive compounds (BCs) are summarized.

• Potential applications of 3D food printing for encapsulating BCs are discussed.

• Extrusion-based 3D food printing can enhance the stability/bioavailability of BCs.

• Hydrogels are promising materials for 3D food printing-based encapsulation.

• Future prospects for integrating 3D printing with encapsulation are highlighted.

Keywords:

• Bioactive compounds
• delivery
• encapsulation
• 3D printing
• hydrogels
• bioavailability

Disclosure statement

There are no conflicts of interest to declare.

Author contributions

Safoura Ahmadzadeh: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Writing – Original Draft. Matthias Dixily R Lenie: Writing – Original Draft. Razieh Sadat Mirmahdi: Writing – Original Draft. Ali Ubeyitogullari: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Writing – Review & Editing, Project Administration, Funding Acquisition.

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, AFRI award no: 2023-67018-40747. This work was also supported in part by a Research Incentive Grant (RIG) from the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES).