Progress 07/15/24 to 07/14/25
Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period, the target audiences reached include undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, food engineers/scientists, the food industry, and middle & high school students. Two undergraduates, one graduate student, and one postdoctoral researcher were directly involved in this project and trained in 3D food printing technology. One graduate student and one postdoctoral researcher were trained in sample characterization via rheology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), x-ray computed tomography (CT), gas chromatography (GC), in vitro digestion, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). Research findings were shared with peers at scientific conferences, including the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) FIRST Annual Meeting & Food Expo, the American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) Annual Meeting & Expo, the Conference of Food Engineering, and the International Symposium on Supercritical Fluids. The technologies developed were discussed in two courses: Principles of Food Processing (~25 students) and Science of Chocolate (~170 students). The results were also shared via seminar presentations at the Phi Tau Sigma Webinar Series and the Pennsylvania State University Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Seminar. Changes/Problems:Nothing to report on major changes or problems encountered in the approach. For the training and professional development opportunities provided, please see the response to the previous questions. During the next reporting period, we plan to continue (i) determining optimal conditions for encapsulating both hydrophilic and hydrophobic bioactive compounds using 3D food printing, and (ii) determining the bioaccessibility and cell uptake of the loaded compounds. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During this reporting period, the target audiences reached include undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, food engineers/scientists, the food industry, and middle & high school students. Two undergraduates, one graduate student, and one postdoctoral researcher were directly involved in this project and trained in 3D food printing technology. One graduate student and one postdoctoral researcher were trained in sample characterization via rheology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), x-ray computed tomography (CT), gas chromatography (GC), in vitro digestion, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Research findings were shared with peers at scientific conferences, including the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) FIRST Annual Meeting & Food Expo, the American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) Annual Meeting & Expo, the Conference of Food Engineering, and the International Symposium on Supercritical Fluids. The technologies developed were discussed in two courses: Principles of Food Processing (~25 students) and Science of Chocolate (~170 students). The results were also shared via seminar presentations at the Phi Tau Sigma Webinar Series and the Pennsylvania State University Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Seminar. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, we plan to continue (i) determining optimal conditions for encapsulating both hydrophilic and hydrophobic bioactive compounds using 3D food printing, and largely (ii) determining the bioaccessibility and cell uptake of the loaded compounds.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Progress has been made on the first and second objectives of the proposal. In the last part of Objective 1, a novel 3D printing approach was developed to co-encapsulate, protect, and enhance the bioaccessibility of lutein and anthocyanins. Coaxial extrusion 3D printing in a spiral-cube geometry was utilized with lutein-loaded zein as the core material and anthocyanins-loaded corn starch paste as the shell material. The research examined various printing conditions, including starch concentrations of 10% and 11%, and printing temperatures ranging from 45 °C to 85 °C. A comprehensive analysis of the inks' properties, such as printability, viscosity, microstructural characteristics, storage stability, and bioaccessibility of the encapsulated compounds, was conducted. Encapsulated lutein showed only a 29-55% degradation rate after 21 days at 25 °C, while 97% of crude lutein was degraded under the same conditions. Similarly, encapsulated anthocyanins had 42-55% degradation rates depending on the 3D printing conditions compared to 70% for crude anthocyanins. Furthermore, the bioaccessibilities of encapsulated lutein (9.8%) and anthocyanins (37.5%) were significantly higher compared to their crude counterparts (1.5% and 20.3%, respectively). Next, we developed hydrophilic-hydrophobic bioinks for 3D printing, where sorghum and soy proteins were used simultaneously. The effects of the first printed layer (SPG or SPIG), printing speed (10, 20 mm/s), and nozzle size (0.52, 0.64, 0.72 mm) on printability were evaluated. The textural properties, rheological characteristics, microstructure, crystallinities, and functional groups of the proteins were analyzed. Printing sorghum and soy proteins together helped balance essential amino acids. The best printability and shape accuracy (95% match with the digital design) were achieved using sorghum protein gel as the first layer, a 0.64 mm nozzle for sorghum protein gel, a 0.52 mm nozzle for soy protein gel, and a printing speed of 10 mm/s. SEM images showed porous gel networks in the 3D-printed samples under optimized conditions. This innovative 3D printing encapsulation system effectively enhances the chemical stability and bioaccessibility of these model bioactive compounds, presenting a promising method for their integration into food products. Overall, two manuscripts were published in high-quality peer-reviewed journals. One patent disclosure has been filed. The findings were also disseminated via conference presentations.
Publications
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Ahmadzadeh, S., Barekat, S., & Ubeyitogullari, A.* (2025). Enhancing lutein and anthocyanins stability and bioaccessibility through simultaneous encapsulation using coaxial 3D food printing. Science of Food, 9, 96. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-025-00439-2
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Barekat, S., & Ubeyitogullari, A.* (2025). Developing hydrophobic-hydrophilic protein structures by 3D food printing of sorghum and soy protein gels. Journal of Food Engineering, 112640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112640
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Barekat, S. & Ubeyitogullari, A. (2025). Innovating protein-based bioinks with sorghum gel for 3D food printing. The American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) Annual Meeting & Expo, April 27-April 30, Portland, USA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Ubeyitogullari, A.* (2024). Novel 3D Food Printing Approaches to Generate Micronutrient Delivery Systems, Pennsylvania State University Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Seminar, October 14, Virtual Seminar.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Ubeyitogullari, A.* (2024). Novel 3D Food Printing Approaches to Generate Micronutrient Delivery Systems, Phi Tau Sigma Webinar Series, September 12, Virtual Seminar.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Ahmadzadeh, S., and Ubeyitogullari, A. (2024). Enhancing the bioaccessibility of lutein by loading into food-grade biopolymer gels using 3D food printing, Conference of Food Engineering, August 25-28, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Ubeyitogullari, A.*, Kaletunc, G., and Corradini, M. (2024). 3D Food Printing as a Prototyping and Processing Tool: Principles and Practical Considerations, Workshop Pre-Conference of Food Engineering, August 25, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Ahmadzadeh, S. & Ubeyitogullari, A. (2024). A novel 3D food printing approach to encapsulate bioactive compounds (individual session). Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) FIRST Annual Meeting & Food Expo, July 14-17, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Ahmadzadeh, S. & Ubeyitogullari, A. (2024). Coaxial 3D printing for encapsulating lutein into starch-zein gels: Improving stability and bioaccessibility. Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) FIRST Annual Meeting & Food Expo, July 14-17, Chicago, IL, USA.
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Progress 07/15/23 to 07/14/24
Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period, the target audiences reached include undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, food engineers/scientists, the food industry, and middle & high school students. One undergraduate, two graduate students, and one postdoctoral researcher were directly involved in this project and trained in 3D food printing technology. Two graduate students and one postdoctoral researcher were trained in sample characterization via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray computed tomography (CT), gas chromatography (GC), in vitro digestion, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). Research findings were shared with peers at scientific conferences, including the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) FIRST Annual Meeting & Food Expo, the American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) Annual Meeting & Expo, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting, and the 3rd International Conference Aerogels for Biomedical and Environmental Applications. The technologies developed were discussed in two courses: Principles of Food Processing (~25 students) and Science of Chocolate (~170 students). Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?During this reporting period, the target audiences reached include undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, food engineers/scientists, the food industry, and middle & high school students. One undergraduate, two graduate students, and one postdoctoral researcher were directly involved in this project and trained in 3D food printing technology. Two graduate students and one postdoctoral researcher were trained in sample characterization via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray computed tomography (CT), gas chromatography (GC), in vitro digestion, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Research findings were shared with peers at scientific conferences, including the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) FIRST Annual Meeting & Food Expo, the American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) Annual Meeting & Expo, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting, and the 3rd International Conference Aerogels for Biomedical and Environmental Applications. The technologies developed were discussed in two courses: Principles of Food Processing (~25 students) and Science of Chocolate (~170 students). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, we plan to continue (i) determining optimal conditions for encapsulating both hydrophilic and hydrophobic bioactive compounds using 3D food printing, and (ii) determining the bioaccessibility and cell uptake of the loaded compounds.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Progress has been made on the first objective of the proposal. In the first part of Objective 1, a new approach via extrusion-based 3D food printing was developed to fabricate porous spherical beads from corn starches with different amylose contents (i.e., 25, 55, and 72%). The effects of amylose content and drying method, i.e., freeze-drying and SC-CO2, on the structural properties of the starch beads were investigated. The shape and size of the 3D-printed beads highly depended on the starches' amylose content, as it affected the rheological properties of the inks. The smallest 3D-printed bead size was ~980 µm generated from high amylose (72%) corn starch. 3DP of starch with high amylose content along with SC-CO2 drying resulted in starch beads with superior properties. The SC-CO2-dried beads showed a significantly higher surface area (175 m2/g) than the freeze-dried ones (< 1 m2/g). Next, lutein, a lipophilic bioactive compound, was encapsulated into starch-ethyl cellulose (EC) gels using 3D printing with a coaxial nozzle setup. Coaxial extrusion 3D printing was implemented by using lutein-loaded EC as the inner flow (core) material and corn starch paste as the outer flow (shell) material. The effects of layer height (0.4, 0.7, and 1 mm), EC (6, 8, and 10% w/v) and starch (9, 10, 11, and 12%, w/w) concentrations, and printing temperature (55, 65, or 75 °C) were investigated. As observed from the microCT images, the layer height of 0.7 mm provided the best printability. The samples fabricated using 10 and 11% starch concentrations at printing temperatures of 55 and 65 °C, respectively, demonstrated the best shape fidelity and storage stability. Specifically, the 3D-print of 10% starch at 55 °C with 10% EC provided the highest lutein stability as a result of the improved shape integrity at this printing condition. The 3D-printed sample at the optimized conditions yielded significantly higher lutein retention indexes of ~70 and 48% after 21 days of storage at 25 °C and 50 °C, respectively, compared to the unencapsulated physical mixture of crude lutein (24 and 10%, respectively) at the same storage conditions. Furthermore, the encapsulation of lutein into zein instead of EC was investigated as it was expected to show a higher digestibility in the GI tract. Again, a spiral-cube-shaped geometry was used to investigate the effects of printing parameters, namely zein concentration (Z; 20, 40, and 60%) and printing speed (PS; 4, 8, 14, and 20 mm/s). The viscosities of the inks, microstructural properties, storage stability, and bioaccessibility of encapsulated lutein were determined. The sample printed with a zein concentration of 40% at a printing speed of 14 mm/s (Z-40/PS-14) exhibited the best shape integrity. When lutein was entrapped in starch/zein gels (Z-40/PS-14), only 39% of lutein degraded after 21 days at 25 ºC, whereas 78% degraded at the same time when crude lutein was studied. Similar improvements were also observed after storing at 50 ºC for 21 days. Furthermore, after simulated digestion, the bioaccessibility of encapsulated lutein (9.8%) was substantially higher than that of crude lutein (1.5%). Overall, the developed dual-layered starch-EC/zein encapsulation approach via 3D printing serves as a platform technology for loading bioactive compounds into food formulations with improved stability and bioaccessibility. Five manuscripts were published in high-quality peer-reviewed journals. One patent disclosure has been filed. The findings were also disseminated via conference presentations.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Ahmadzadeh, S., & Ubeyitogullari, A. (2024). Lutein encapsulation into dual-layered starch/zein gels using 3D food printing: Improved storage stability and in vitro bioaccessibility. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 266, 131305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131305
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Hamilton, A. N., Mirmahdi, R. S., Ubeyitogullari, A., Romana, C. K., Baum, J. I., & Gibson, K. E. (2024). From bytes to bites: Advancing the food industry with three-dimensional food printing. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 23(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.13293
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Ahmadzadeh, S. & Ubeyitogullari, A. (2023). Generation of porous starch beads via a 3D food printer: The effects of amylose content and drying technique. Carbohydrate Polymers, 301, 120296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.120296
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Ahmadzadeh, S. & Ubeyitogullari, A. (2023). Enhancing the stability of lutein by loading into dual-layered starch-ethyl cellulose gels using 3D food printing, Additive Manufacturing, 69, 103549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2023.103549
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Ahmadzadeh, S., Lenie, M. D.R., Mirmahdi, R.S., & Ubeyitogullari, A. (2023). Designing future foods: Harnessing 3D food printing technology to encapsulate bioactive compounds. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2023.2273446
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Ahmadzadeh, S. & Ubeyitogullari, A. (2024). Encapsulation of lutein into dual-layered starch-ethyl cellulose gels using 3D food printing. Phi Tau Sigma Research Competition, February 13, Virtual Conference.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Ahmadzadeh, S. & Ubeyitogullari, A. (2023). An innovative 3D printing approach for encapsulating lutein into dual-layered starch-ethylcellulose/zein gels. American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting, November 5-10, Orlando, FL, USA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Ahmadzadeh, S. & Ubeyitogullari, A. (2023). Encapsulation of lutein into dual-layered starch-ethyl cellulose gels using 3D food printing. Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) FIRST Annual Meeting & Food Expo, July 16-19, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Ahmadzadeh, S. & Ubeyitogullari, A. (2023). Enhancing the stability of lutein via an innovative encapsulation approach based on 3D food printing. The American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) Annual Meeting & Expo, April 30-May 3, Denver, CO, USA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Ubeyitogullari, A. (invited plenary speaker) & Ahmadzadeh, S. (2023). Convergence of 3D printing and food-grade aerogels for the delivery of bioactive compounds. The 3rd International Conference Aerogels for Biomedical and Environmental Applications (in the frame of AERoGELS COST Action), July 5-7, Maribor, Slovenia.
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