Sažetak
With the development of the first 3D printer 37 years ago (1987), additive manufacturing began to be used in prototyping. Production was oriented to the creation of products with complicated geometry in a short time based on 3D CAD models without the use of tools and moulds. The first materials that were used in additive manufacturing were polymers. Recently, many 3D printers have been developed, i.e. different additive technologies that can make functional products, tools, and moulds from metal, ceramics and composites in various industries.
The application of additive food production began in 2006, when it was exclusively used for research and development of space food. Recently, 3D food printing enabled the production of customized meals, having unique shapes and ingredients. The aforementioned opens up the possibility of making 3D printed food for people with digestion problems, so that they can make the food they want on the 3D printer choosing their own recipe and shape. However, each recipe requires special adjustment of the 3D printer depending on the applied additive technology. Can the requirements for model construction and processing parameters of polymer 3D printing be mapped to food 3D printing? Requirements for 3D modeling of food, the application of the support structure as well as different rheological properties and dosing of mixture, removal of air from mixtures before processing, adjustment of processing parameters, post-processing, and performance of the 3D printers themselves are all these challenges that must be overcome to obtain high quality 3D food. It is necessary to emphasize the challenge of post-processing on cereal snacks (mixture with wheat, oat, and barley flour) to keep their shape and prevent deformation. As part of the project 3Dsnack4health (Development of New Generation of Snack Food for Consumers with Specific Dietary Needs using 3D Printing Technologies), an attempt was made to overcome some of the mentioned obstacles in making food for people suffering from celiac disease and other digestive disorders.
Ključne riječi
3D food printing; challenges; food ingredients; nutritional disorders; processing parameters; post-processing; recipes; rheology