Experimental study reveals shape-dependent curcuminoid retention in 3D-printed turmeric crackers, highlighting geometry as a critical design factor for functional food preservation.
Key Points
To evaluate how 3D-printed geometry and turmeric powder concentration influence dough printability, cracker appearance, and the retention of bioactive curcuminoids during baking and storage.
Formulated cracker doughs with 0, 1, 2, and 3% (w/w) turmeric rhizome powder and 3D-printed them into cylinder, hollow cylinder, triangular prism, cube, and racetrack geometries.
Evaluated rheological properties, printability, post-baking shape stability, color, texture, and microstructure across formulations.
Tracked curcuminoid degradation after baking and across a 30-day storage period in the optimized 2% turmeric formulation.
Doughs formulated with 2% turmeric powder exhibited optimal shear-thinning behavior, printability, and shape stability, whereas 0% and 3% mixtures showed the lowest stability.
Baking reduced overall curcuminoid content by more than 40% across cracker samples.
Retention during 30-day storage depended on shape: triangle, hollow cylinder, and racetrack geometries retained >86% of curcuminoids, with hollow cylinders showing no significant loss between day 1 and day 30.