Improvement of 3D Printing Performance of Whey Protein Isolate Emulsion Gels by Regulating Rheological Properties: Effect of Polysaccharides Incorporation

The interaction of polysaccharide and protein can improve the emulsification and gelation properties of emulsion gel, which is a good substrate for 3D printing food. Whey protein isolate (WPI) emulsion gels with guar gum (GG), locust bean gum (LBG), xanthan gum (XG), and gum arabic (GA) concentrations of 1%, 3%, 5%, 7%, and 9% were investigated for 3D printing β-carotene-rich food. The effect of different polysaccharide concentrations on the rheological properties, 3D printing performances (printability, printing accuracy, and printing stability), and moisture distribution characteristics of emulsion gels were analyzed. The results showed that WPI emulsion gels with the addition of polysaccharides had shear-thinning behavior and exhibited elastic property. WPI emulsion gels added with polysaccharides of more than 5% had the higher transient elasticity and viscosity, which exhibited the higher deformation resistance. Water holding capacity and gel strength of WPI emulsion gels increased with the increase of polysaccharide concentration, and WPI emulsion gels added with GG and LBG showed the larger gel strength values. Water trapped in the gel network dominated in WPI emulsion gels, T₂₁, T₂₂, and T₂₃ values decreased with the increases of polysaccharide concentration. The results showed that 7% of GG, LBG, and GA could improve the 3D printing performance and significantly increased the printing accuracy and stability of WPI emulsion gels.