{"title":"Preparation and Characterization of 3D Printed Objects Based on Different Kefir Gels","authors":"Selçuk Ok, Emin Yilmaz, Nükhet Nilüfer Demirel Zorba","doi":"10.1007/s11483-024-09839-5","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this study, kefir-containing healthy snacks were produced by using 3D food printing technique. Although kefir has many important health benefits, its consumption is quite low. It was thought that kefir-containing snacks in attractive shapes produced with a 3D food printer could increase the kefir consumption. For this purpose, disintegrated kefir gels prepared with starch, gelatin and alginate were used as inks. First, the minimum gelation concentration (C*) of each gelator was determined. Then, disintegrated gels with concentrations of C*, C*+1%, and C*+2% were prepared with each gelator and the effect of gelator concentration on printing quality was investigated for each gelator. Printing quality was associated with storage modulus, loss factor and flow behavior, and the minimum gelator concentration required for a suitable formulation for 3D printing (highest printability and dimensional stability) was determined as 5%, 6% and 3% for starch, gelatin and alginate, respectively. <i>Lactobacillus</i> spp. and <i>Lactococcus</i> spp. contents of the starch-based sample were found to be significantly lower than those of fresh kefir and gelatin and alginate-based samples. Sensory properties and consumer appreciation were lower for the gelatin-based sample. Due to the high printing quality (98% printability and 99% dimensional stability), high probiotic content (7.81 and 8.13 log cfu/ml <i>Lactobacillus</i> spp. and <i>Lactococcus</i> spp. content, respectively) and high consumer appreciation (4.71 out of 5 for general acceptance), alginate-based sample (containing 3% alginate) was chosen as the best sample. In conclusion, new, chewable, alive, alternative kefir products were successfully developed for consumers seeking new ways of kefir consumption.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":564,"journal":{"name":"Food Biophysics","volume":"19 2","pages":"453 - 470"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11483-024-09839-5.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Food Biophysics","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11483-024-09839-5","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
In this study, kefir-containing healthy snacks were produced by using 3D food printing technique. Although kefir has many important health benefits, its consumption is quite low. It was thought that kefir-containing snacks in attractive shapes produced with a 3D food printer could increase the kefir consumption. For this purpose, disintegrated kefir gels prepared with starch, gelatin and alginate were used as inks. First, the minimum gelation concentration (C*) of each gelator was determined. Then, disintegrated gels with concentrations of C*, C*+1%, and C*+2% were prepared with each gelator and the effect of gelator concentration on printing quality was investigated for each gelator. Printing quality was associated with storage modulus, loss factor and flow behavior, and the minimum gelator concentration required for a suitable formulation for 3D printing (highest printability and dimensional stability) was determined as 5%, 6% and 3% for starch, gelatin and alginate, respectively. Lactobacillus spp. and Lactococcus spp. contents of the starch-based sample were found to be significantly lower than those of fresh kefir and gelatin and alginate-based samples. Sensory properties and consumer appreciation were lower for the gelatin-based sample. Due to the high printing quality (98% printability and 99% dimensional stability), high probiotic content (7.81 and 8.13 log cfu/ml Lactobacillus spp. and Lactococcus spp. content, respectively) and high consumer appreciation (4.71 out of 5 for general acceptance), alginate-based sample (containing 3% alginate) was chosen as the best sample. In conclusion, new, chewable, alive, alternative kefir products were successfully developed for consumers seeking new ways of kefir consumption.
期刊介绍:
Biophysical studies of foods and agricultural products involve research at the interface of chemistry, biology, and engineering, as well as the new interdisciplinary areas of materials science and nanotechnology. Such studies include but are certainly not limited to research in the following areas: the structure of food molecules, biopolymers, and biomaterials on the molecular, microscopic, and mesoscopic scales; the molecular basis of structure generation and maintenance in specific foods, feeds, food processing operations, and agricultural products; the mechanisms of microbial growth, death and antimicrobial action; structure/function relationships in food and agricultural biopolymers; novel biophysical techniques (spectroscopic, microscopic, thermal, rheological, etc.) for structural and dynamical characterization of food and agricultural materials and products; the properties of amorphous biomaterials and their influence on chemical reaction rate, microbial growth, or sensory properties; and molecular mechanisms of taste and smell.
A hallmark of such research is a dependence on various methods of instrumental analysis that provide information on the molecular level, on various physical and chemical theories used to understand the interrelations among biological molecules, and an attempt to relate macroscopic chemical and physical properties and biological functions to the molecular structure and microscopic organization of the biological material.