Researchers try to use 3D printers and thermal cocoa butter to make meat substitutes

In recent years, meat substitutes have quickly moved out of the vegetarian population and are becoming more common in grocery stores and restaurants. Recently, the American Chemical Society “
food
An interesting study was reported in the journal Science and Technology-it is known that a research team has developed a novel combination of plant ingredients tailored specifically for 3D printed meat substitutes. And in the 3D printing recipe, we saw a strange additive, it is cocoa butter.

From animal welfare to environmental sustainability, people choose to replace meat products for many reasons. However, the current common meat substitutes generally rely on plant-based protein (usually from soybeans/wheat, etc.). Unfortunately, even if many teams have tried 3D printed meat alternatives, everyone still lacks a good way to use specific plant proteins.

In view of this, Songbai Liu and Shanshan Wang wanted to find a way to provide 3D printers with soy/wheat protein “dough” for efficient production.
Through the actual measurement of the formulation of multiple ingredients, the researchers evaluated these mixtures based on the accuracy of the 3D printer’s placement of the raw materials, the degree of shape retention (and the inspection of their texture and microstructure).
Interestingly, this experiment revealed the importance of concentrating additional ingredients (including Tween-80 emulsifier and sodium alginate) to control the texture of the finished product.

In the end, “heat-sensitive cocoa butter” proved to play a very important role. It can make the raw materials more fluid at higher temperatures, and then can maintain the shape after 3D printing at the temperature of the dripping drops.
However, this material is not without its disadvantages, especially for people who cannot eat wheat gluten or soy due to allergies or gastrointestinal intolerance. Even though the researchers tried to use peas to replace the soy protein in the ingredient list, the resulting dough was too soft to print smoothly.

(Editor in charge: admin)