Research Progress on Food 3D Printing Based on Starch

Three-dimensional (3D) printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is an emerging manufacturing technology that enables personalized product design and precise modeling through digital control. In recent years, 3D printing technology has gained significant attention in the food industry due to its potential advantages, especially in the field of customized food processing. Starch is an important component of human diet, especially in the eastern diet structure primarily based on plant-based foods. Most starches possess excellent rheological, hydration, and gel properties, making them have natural advantages in outflow nozzle and printing molding and thus have great application potential in food 3D printing. In this article, recent progress in starch-based 3D printing is reviewed with respect to printing equipment types commonly used in starch-based 3D printing, printing technology using common starches as raw materials, the correlation between starch physicochemical properties and printing performance, starch modification for quality improvement of 3D printed products, the post-processing of starch-based 3D printed products and the influence of printing on starch structure. Furthermore, future prospects in the 3D printing field are presented.