Want healthy Valentine chocolates? We can print them
Food scientist uses 3D printing to introduce the first in a line of what
he calls 'functional foods'

Date:
February 14, 2023
Source:
Rutgers University
Summary:
A scientist has developed a formulation of low-fat chocolate that
can be printed on a 3D printer in pretty much any shape a person
can conceive, including a heart.


Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email
FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A Rutgers scientist has developed a formulation of low-fat chocolate
that can be printed on a 3D printer in pretty much any shape a person
can conceive, including a heart.


==========================================================================
The work heralds what the researcher hopes will be a new line of
"functional foods" -- edibles specially designed with health benefits. The
aim is to develop healthier kinds of chocolate easily accessible to
consumers.

Reporting in the scientific journal, Food Hydrocolloids, a Rutgers-led
team of scientists described the successful creation and printing of a
mixture producing low-fat chocolate -- substituting fatty cocoa butter
with a lower- fat, water-in-oil emulsion.

"Everybody likes to eat chocolate, but we are also concerned with
our health," said Qingrong Huang, a professor in the Department of
Food Science at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological
Sciences. "To address this, we have created a chocolate that is not only low-fat, but that can also be printed with a 3D printer. It's our first 'functional' chocolate." Huang, an author of the study, said he already
is working on manipulating sugar content in the new chocolate formulation
for low-sugar and sugar-free varieties.

Researchers create emulsions by breaking down two immiscible liquids
into minute droplets. In emulsions, the two liquids will usually quickly separate - - as is the case with oil and vinegar -- unless they are held together by a third, stabilizing ingredient known as an emulsifier. (An
egg is the emulsifier in a vinaigrette.) Chocolate candy is generally
made with cocoa butter, cocoa powder and powdered sugar and combined
with any one of a variety of different emulsifiers.

For the study, the scientific team experimented with different ratios of
the ingredients for a standard chocolate recipe to find the best balance between liquid and solid for 3D printing. Seeking to lower the level of
fat in the mixture, researchers created a water-in-cocoa butter emulsion
held together by gum arabic, an extract from the acacia tree that is
commonly used in the food industry, to replace the cocoa butter. The researchers mixed the emulsion with golden syrup to enhance the flavor
and added that combination to the other ingredients.

As delightful as it is to eat, Huang said, chocolate is a material rich
with aspects for food scientists to explore.

Employing advanced techniques examining the molecular structure and
physical properties of chocolate, researchers investigated the printed chocolate's physical characteristics. They were seeking the proper
level of viscosity for printing and looking for the optimal texture and smoothness "for a good mouthfeel," Huang said. Experimenting with many different water-oil ratios, they varied the percentages of all the main ingredients before settling on one mixture.

In 3D printing, a printer is used to create a physical object from a
digital model by laying down layers of material in quick succession. The
3D printer, and the shapes it produces, can be programmed by an app on
a cellphone, Huang said.

Ultimately, Huang said he plans to design functional foods containing
healthy added ingredients -- substances he has spent more than two
decades studying, such as extracts from orange peel, tea, red pepper,
onion, Rosemary, turmeric, blueberry and ginger -- that consumers can
print and eat.

"3D food printing technology enables the development of customized
edible products with tailored taste, shape and texture as well as optimal nutrition based on consumer needs," Huang said.

Other researchers on the study included Siqi You and Xuanxuan Lu of
the Department of Food Science and Engineering at Jinan University in Guangzhou, China.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Mind_&_Brain
# Dieting_and_Weight_Control # Nutrition_Research #
Consumer_Behavior # Perception
o Matter_&_Energy
# 3-D_Printing # Nature_of_Water # Engineering # Chemistry
* RELATED_TERMS
o Saturated_fat o Trans_fat o Circuit_design o Unsaturated_fat
o Self_image o Erikson's_stages_of_psychosocial_development
o Hyperactivity o Intelligence_quotient

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Rutgers_University. Original written
by Kitta MacPherson.

Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Siqi You, Qingrong Huang, Xuanxuan Lu. Development of fat-reduced 3D
printed chocolate by substituting cocoa butter with water-in-oil
emulsions. Food Hydrocolloids, 2023; 135: 108114 DOI: 10.1016/
j.foodhyd.2022.108114 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230214153905.htm

--- up 50 weeks, 1 day, 10 hours, 50 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)