INDUSTRY INNOVATION
food printing with the idea of incorporat-
3D FOOD PRINTING
A Guide to Printing
Your Own Food
Overcoming challenges and innovating success for
the production of edible 3D products. A look at the
opportunity for the food manufacturing industry to
tap into the novel production scheme.
by Jerome Diaz, Scientist, Functional Ingredients, TNO
T
he process innovation of using layer
by layer deposition of materials for
the production of end-products is
revolutionizing the manufacturing industry.
Also known as additive manufacturing,
the use of layer-wise deposition of materi-
als for the production of spare parts and
whole products for industrial use continue
to evolve. Only recently, reports regarding
the production of aircraft spare parts, home
and personal ware are continually being im-
proved and refined. Additive manufactur-
ing, which is forecasted to spark the third
industrial revolution, is potentially a game
changing technology. However, as the tech-
nology is still evolving, there is still a lot to
be learned and discovered. This also makes
the field of 3D food printing all the more
challenging but nonetheless exciting. The
technologies involved in additive manufac-
turing for food products is still in its early
stages. The initial reason for printing food
is the coolness factor, which is reminiscent
118 THE WORLD OF FOOD INGREDIENTS OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013
TNOPrinting.indd 118
Recently, NASA funded a project for
of science fiction concepts such as Star
Treks food replicator. In addition, the ability
to personalize the shape and composition
of edible objects makes food printing truly
individual. However, more important than
aesthetic and coolness, 3D food printing
can substantially change current industrial
food manufacturing. For example, tradition-
al cookie production requires mixing flour,
fat, sugar, water into a dough. Shaping the
dough and then, subsequently baking them
in an oven. Using additive manufacturing, it
is possible that dry mixed ingredients could
be cooked layer wise, thereby circumvent-
ing the need for adding too much water; for
kneading the mixture into a dough and for
baking for prolonged periods of time.
The simplification of the manufacturing
process that is offered by additive manufac-
turing presents numerous potential advan-
tages, such as energy saving, water reduc-
tion, and efficient use of materials, among
others.
3D-printed beef roulade
from the EU funded
project, PERFORMANCE
ing additive manufacturing technologies in
a manned space mission as a resource effi-
cient method of producing various food. In
addition, the use of alternative food sources
can benefit from the structuring elements
that may be derived from additive manufac-
turing.
For example, insect, algae and leaf pro-
teins may be structured using additive
manufacturing. Designing foods for special
needs such as those with swallowing and
digestion disorders is also possible. This is
the case for the EU-FP7 funded PERFORM-
ANCE project, which aims to produce foods
for elderly consumers via additive manu-
facturing technologies. TNO is one of the
organizations involved in the EU funded
PERFORMANCE project and contributes in
formulation and testing of physico-chemical
properties of the printed food.
Inside Additive Manufacturing
The basis of additive manufacturing is
the computer controlled layer-wise depo-
sition of materials. A computer program
divides a given 3D shape into thin layers/
sheets. The 3D shape is then built by depos-
iting materials layer by layer following the
shape of the computer generated slices. As
the computer generated slices are built on
top of each other, the 3D shape is construct-
ed. In additive manufacturing, each depos-
ited layer is consolidated/bound together.
This may be accomplished by a number of
different mechanisms. Many variations of
this basic concept of layer-wise deposition
exist. However, there are three main tech-
nologies that are emerging as important in
the food manufacturing process. These are
forced deposition modeling (FDM), selec-
tive laser sintering (SLS) and powder bed
printing (PBP).
Forced deposition modeling (FDM) is ac-
complished by extruding mixtures through
a nozzle on a XYZ-moving stage. The FDM
technology has so far been extensively used
for printing food. Various food materials like
starch, gelatine and fat (e.g. molten choco-
late) to name a few, have been used as an
input material for printing food via FDM.
The main challenges are in finding suitable
formulations that will have enough strength
to maintain the 3D shape during the print-
ing process itself. In addition, depending
on the food, the 3D shape obtained from
FDM should withstand cooking and/or nor-
mal handling without collapse or breaking
up. Since molten materials are used in FDM,
warping of the object upon solidification or
upon drying also poses a hurdle for food
product developers.
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 Selective laser sintering (SLS) uses a high
power laser to consolidate a powder bed that
is deposited layer wise on a stage. The con-
solidation of the powder bed fuses the pow-
der particles into a solid object. The shape of
this fused powder bed layer corresponds to a
computer generated slice of a 3D object. As
the powder bed layer is deposited and con-
solidated on top of each other, a 3D shape
emerges. The main SLS challenge for the
production of edible objects include finding
suitable ingredients or mixture of ingredients
that are able to consolidate into a 3D shape
given the conditions of the laser light used.
Recently, TNO developed food (cookie) for-
mulations that yield good shape results un-
der SLS (see picture). In addition, the base
formulation developed could be adapted for
other food applications.
Powder bed printing (PBP) also offers a high
potential to be used as a technology for 3D
printing food. In PBP, a powder bed is de-
posited layer wise on a stage, similar to SLS.
However, unlike SLS, in PBP consolidation is
accomplished by spraying a liquid on the
powder bed corresponding to computer
generated slices of a 3D shape. As with SLS,
the consolidation of food materials is the
main hurdle in PBP. In addition, since a liq-
uid is sprayed on a dry powder bed, weep-
ing or bleeding of the liquid spray leads to
deformation of the 3D edible shape. Upon
a cooking process, the consolidated edible
shape should hold their shape.
Major points to consider:
Safety: Food safety should be assessed as
far as additive manufacturing of food prod-
ucts is concerned. This is especially true for
technologies such as SLS where high laser
power is used on food materials. In addi-
tion, choking hazards should be assessed
for various edible shapes produced via ad-
ditive manufacturing.
Food Quality: Much of the foods we con-
sume have a particular quality, whether
in terms of sensorial properties including
aroma, taste and texture. For example, the
crumb and crust structure of breads offer
specific textural properties. For additive
manufacturing of food, these quality notes
should be replicated, especially if tradition-
al staples such as bread are to be made.
Healthfulness: Since there is a lack of food
materials that can meet the basic challeng-
es of additive manufacturing, in most cases,
derivatized food ingredients may be used.
The healthfulness of the printed edible ob-
ject should be taken into consideration dur-
ing product development.
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TNOPrinting.indd 119
The major challenge for 3D printing of
food using additive manufacturing technol-
ogies involves selection of the food ingredi-
ents to be used that will:
(1) Lead to proper consolidation/binding/
fusing of the food materials into the desired
3D shape, i.e. printability and;
(2) Deliver the desired structure and texture.
Printability: Being able to hold shape dur-
ing the printing process may be modulated
by a mixture of different ingredients. While
it is also possible to fine tune the additive
manufacturing process by identifying and
optimizing process conditions that is tai-
lored for the specific material properties of
the food matrix being printed, food quality
parameters are ultimately influenced by the
ingredients and their interaction in the food
matrix. The functional properties related to
water holding and binding are important
parameters to consider. Along these lines,
interaction with water or non-aqueous sol-
vents are also important properties to con-
sider in evaluating ingredient performance
in additive manufacturing. For thermal proc-
esses such as SLS, melting points and heat
transfer properties influence printability. In
powder bed systems, particle size distribu-
tion and powder bed characteristics (e.g.
density, porosity, among others) are also im-
portant factors to consider. Most foods are
either carbohydrate-based (such as baked
goods), protein-based (such as gelatines
and meringues), fat-based (such as choco-
lates) and a mixture of all three. The print-
ability of various food ingredients and their
combinations is one of the main research
questions being addressed at TNO. The
combinations of these food ingredients and
their performance in additive manufactur-
ing technologies are also being evaluated.
Microstructure: While being able to hold
shape during printing is important, food
microstructure is as important and must be
taken into account during additive manufac-
turing. The physical properties of the foods
we consume are very tightly correlated to
the way the ingredients interact in the food
matrix. In current food manufacturing proc-
esses, ingredient interaction in a food ma-
trix is catalyzed by mechanical shear forces
(for example mixing and kneading) and is
also hastened by the addition of fat and or
water as a plasticizer or softener for the ma-
trix. In additive manufacturing, mechanical
shear forces are often absent.
Approaches to Development
At TNO, food formulation development
for 3D additive printing starts with identify-
ing the desired food structure, followed by
identification of the necessary ingredients
to obtain such structures. In another context,
additive manufacturing of food enables the
possible development of new structures and
the corresponding novel textures arising
from them. Understanding the microstruc-
ture of the food to be replicated dictates the
nature of the formulation to be developed.
For example, developing cookie, cake or
bread formulations for additive manufactur-
ing would require a different set of ingredi-
ents, since the microstructure of these foods
are different from each other. In flour-based
products, the ability to control gluten devel-
opment is key to achieving the correct tex-
ture, among others. In addition, the ability to
entrap air during and after printing is essen-
tial for obtaining the correct final product at-
tributes for various baked goods. Mechani-
cal shear forces normally used in traditional
manufacturing processes for baked goods is
inherently absent in current additive manu-
facturing technologies. Therefore, achiev-
ing proper ingredient interaction in additive
manufacturing is another knowledge ques-
tion that is currently being addressed.
For more information: TNO
www.tno.nl; jerome.diaz@tno.nl
3D Printed cookies using
selective laser sintering
(SLS) at TNO.
119
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