Effect of pea protein isolate incorporation on 3D printing performance and tailing effect of banana paste

Fruits have been used as potential food ingredients for the 3D printing of customized food for the elderly or infants. However, the tailing effect observed in the long paste extrusion of fruits results in low resolution during the extrusion process, which complicates their use. In this study, the tailing effect due to the lack of extrusion continuity in a banana matrix was improved by the addition of a pea protein isolate (PPI). As the amount of PPI incorporation increased, a decrease in % recovery and elongation at break was observed and the tailing effect in the dash line printing test was suppressed. At up to 10% PPI incorporation, a collapse of the wedge-shaped parts and a long tail between the two objects were observed, while the banana paste containing 15% PPI matched best with the defined shape for optimal shape retention. However, the sample with 20% PPI showed discontinuous extrusion and decreased layer adhesion owing to excessive protein aggregation. The correlation between the new experimental methods and the two actual printed separate objects was successfully verified using a 3D printing test.

Automated summary

The study improved the extrusion continuity in a banana matrix by adding pea protein isolate (PPI), increasing the effectiveness of using fruits in 3D printing customized food for the elderly or infants.