Improving the Three-Dimensional Printability of Potato Starch Loaded onto Food Ink

This study focuses on improving the 3D printability of pea protein with the help of food inks designed for jet-type 3D printers.Initially, the food ink base was formulated using nanocellulosealginate with a gradient of native potato starch and its 3D printability was evaluated.The 3D-printed structures using only candidates for the food ink base formulated with or without potato starch exhibited dimensional accuracy exceeding 95% on both the X and Y axes.However, the accuracy of stacking on the Z-axis was significantly affected by the ink composition.Food ink with 1% potato starch closely matched the CAD design, with an accuracy of approximately 99% on the Z-axis.Potato starch enhanced the stacking of 3D-printed structures by improving the electrostatic repulsion, viscoelasticity, and thixotropic behavior of the food ink base.The 3D printability of pea protein was evaluated using the selected food ink base, showing a 46% improvement in dimensional accuracy on the Z-axis compared to the control group printed with a food ink base lacking potato starch.These findings suggest that starch can serve as an additive support for high-resolution 3D jet-type printing of food ink material.