3D Printing Characteristics of Wheat Flour

In this work, the physicochemical, gelatinization, mixing and rheological properties of eight wheat flours with different protein contents were determined and their relationship with 3D printing properties was studied. The results showed that the protein content had a significant influence on the 3D printing characteristics of wheat flour. Wheat flours with protein contents between 9% and 10% (original wheat flour ZY, wheat flour BN 4199 and Chinese pastry flour XL) had better 3D printing performance, and the resultant products had a regular shape, a smooth surface, and clear lines, which was in good agreement with the model. The loss modulus (G’’) of dough affected its extrusion behavior, while the storage modulus (G’) affected the ability to support the three-dimensional structure of dough. The tangent of loss angle (tan δ) of dough produced from original wheat flour ZY was larger than that of dough produced from the other wheat flours, which was beneficial for extrusion molding. The G’ of Chinese pastry flour XL was greater than that of the other wheat flours, which was beneficial for maintaining the shape of the printed dough. The printing volume of Chinese pastry flour XL, with a protein content of 9.33%, showed an error of only 0.26% compared with the designed model (30 mm × 30 mm × 10 mm). After steaming, the length of the x-axis and y-axis of the printed product slightly increased while the z-axis slightly decreased. In addition, browning occurred. In summary, we concluded that wheat flour is suitable for use as a 3D printing material, which will be conducive to expanding the application of 3D printing technology in the food field.