ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY

Abstract

3D-printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a technology that is used to produce objects through the layer-by-layer printing process based on digital models. It is employed in the food industry to personify nutrition, optimize the supply chains and extend a range of available products. Moreover, it has been shown that this technology helps solve global tasks including a reduction of food waste due to the optimization of technological processes and rational use of raw materials, including by introducing recovered nutritional substances from by-products of agro-industrial production into printed food products. The paper examines advantages and risks of additive manufacturing, key trends and peculiarities of their use in the food industry, as well as the current state of the world market of 3D technologies. Possibilities of 3D printing of various types of products based on the latest scientific developments are analyzed, problems of printing meat products and their analogs are examined, and prospects of using 3D printing to personify nutrition with account for consumers’ requirements and preferences are discussed. Obstacles for launching 3D food printers and technologies on the consumer market were assessed. The authors analyzed properties of initial materials (food inks) that exert a significant impact on food products printed on a 3D printer, especially their mechanical strength and viscosity, which affect accuracy and formability of printed products. It has been shown that the method of mixing functional components and materials for printing has a high potential for tailoring functional foods according to needs of various consumer groups. Furthermore, methods for assessment of the efficiency of 3D food printing are summarized and an effect of 3D printing on achieving Sustainable Development Goals is determined.