The Impact of Non-Thermal Technologies on the Printability and Functional Properties of Quinoa Protein-Based Food Ink

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article-en

Authors

Mozhdeh Sarraf ¹

Sara Naji-Tabasi ¹

Behrooz Ghorani ¹

Bahareh Emadzaeh ²

Omer Said Toker ³

¹ Department of Food Nanotechnology, Research Institute of Food Science and Technology (RIFST), Mashhad, Iran

² Department of Food Physics, Research Institute of Food Science and Technology (RIFST), Mashhad, Iran

³ Chemical and Metallurgical Faculty Food Engineering, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey

10.22067/ifstrj.2026.97432.1545

Abstract

In the past decade, the food industry has seen increased focus on diverse and practical designs. Accordingly, this research aims to use additive manufacturing to create gel structures from a new perspective. In this study, quinoa protein (QP), either untreated (B) or treated with cold plasma (CP) or pulsed electric fields (PEF), at two concentrations (9 and 12% w/w), was combined with polysaccharides (alginate and agar) to prepare gels. The printability and physicochemical (water activity, dry matter, water holding capacity, and color analyses), textural, and rheological properties of gels were then compared. Evaluation of the textural properties revealed that the highest hardness was observed 530.27, 416.52, and 334.82 g for the 12% B, 12% CP, and 9% PEF samples, respectively. However, in examining the results of the frequency sweep, 9% and 12% CP had the lowest storage modulus among the other gels. The 3D printing results of gels indicated that they are printable and showed high stability over 24 hr. In addition, phase separation did not occur in all treatments when gels were exposed to severe stress. Therefore, optimizing quinoa protein gels for 3D printing requires coordinating processing parameters with the composition of the formulation. This could advance the development of novel food designs with enhanced texture and stability, aligning with the food industry’s focus on innovative and practical solutions.

Keywords

3D food printing

Cold-Plasma

Hydrocolloids

Quinoa protein

Pulsed electric field

Subjects

• Food Engineering

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Authors retain the copyright. This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)

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