University of Leuven developed a 3D printer prototype that uses pectin to print candy

KU Leuven University in Belgium has developed a 3D printer prototype that can be used to make candy from pectin gels. Researchers are currently studying other formulations to further expand the scope of application of the product. Valerie Vancauwenberghe, a doctoral student at the Mechatronics and Membranes department at the University of Louvain, said at a 3D food printing conference in Venlo, the Netherlands, yesterday that her 3D printing candy technology was actually a 3D printing candy by printing 3D cells Plant Tissue Methodology is part of an innovative project on food manufacturing. Network with map As we all know, pectin is a natural thickener, often added to jams, jelly and candy to help them gel and thicken. In fact, it is a carbohydrate (polysaccharide), mainly found in and around the cell walls of plants. "Pectin is an edible gel that is found in many products, and its sweetness is variable and stable enough for printing," says Vancauwenberghe. "We used a special type of pectin, called low-methoxy pectin, which in the experiment was able to create candy that resembled the Gummie Bear, and we are working on these 3D printed objects Of the traits, and through stress tests to understand its mechanical properties and fracture stress. She added that by adjusting the recipe, the appearance of the material can change dramatically, and it can become transparent or spread out during printing, which means researchers are not optimistic about material optimization. "At the University of Louvain, we developed a prototype of a 3D printer that prints materials like pectin at room temperature," says Vancauwenberghe. "We also looked at how little sugar can be added to the gel without affecting the printability of the material." According to Vancauwenberghe, almost all fruits contain pectin, but they differ greatly from each other. "Not all pectin is suitable for 3D printing," she said. "Some pectin is not sticky because of the lack of iron and calcium." In order for the 3D printed object to retain its shape, the PhD student tried a variety of recipes to find an ideal material that was both food-friendly and of the same texture as the fruit or vegetable. "The porosity can be controlled by the forming agent, and we do not lose the foam-like structure and the print does not change because of air bubbles," she added. According to TISCO, pectin is the most abundant in apples and oranges. In fact, pectin extracted from both fruits has been used commercially to thicken many different types of products. In addition, pectins generally require high levels of sugars and some acids, such as citric acid, to activate some of the commercially available pectins that typically include citric acid.