Effect of printing temperature and infill percentage on the appearance of 3D printed chocolate

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) food printing is the current rising technology by creating layer by layer of thin semi-liquid particles, resulting in a 3D shaped food. Chocolate is one of the most used food ingredients in 3D food printing due to its properties that can melt and harden easily at room temperature. Temperature is one of the main factors affecting the chocolate's properties regarding its melting point stability and its shininess. The infill percentage of the 3D printed chocolate models determines the build-up structure of the final product. This study compared the sensory analysis of the appearance of the 3D printed chocolate. The variables used in this study are the printing temperature and the infill percentage of the 3D chocolate model. The temperatures used for the printing were 31ºC, 32ºC, and 33ºC with infill percentages of 10%, 30%, and 50% for each printing temperature. The hedonic rating test and the CATA method were used to analyze the printed chocolate. Results from the hedonic rating test showed that chocolate printed at a temperature 32ºC with an infill percentage of 50% had a higher acceptance level compared with other samples with a rating value of 7.11±1.60. For the CATA analysis, Cochran's Q test, symmetric plot of attributes and product, principal coordinate analysis for the attribute correlated to the liking point, and the mean impact for a to determine positive impact attribute were done to assess the attributes that were perceived from the samples.