SCOBY: an alternate solution to develop cheap and nutritious food by food layered manufacturing (FLM)
ISSN: 1355-2546
Article publication date: 5 April 2024
Issue publication date: 1 May 2024
Abstract
Purpose
In pursuit of affordable and nutrient-rich food alternatives, the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) emerged as a selected food ink for 3D printing. The purpose of this paper is to harness SCOBY’s potential to create cost-effective and nourishing food options using the innovative technique of 3D printing.
Design/methodology/approach
This work presents a comparative analysis of the printability of SCOBY with blends of wheat flour, with a focus on the optimization of process variables such as printing composition, nozzle height, nozzle diameter, printing speed, extrusion motor speed and extrusion rate. Extensive research was carried out to explore the diverse physical, mechanical and rheological properties of food ink.
Findings
Among the ratios tested, SCOBY, with SCOBY:wheat flour ratio at 1:0.33 exhibited the highest precision and layer definition when 3D printed at 50 and 60 mm/s printing speeds, 180 rpm motor speed and 0.8 mm nozzle with a 0.005 cm3/s extrusion rate, with minimum alteration in colour.
Originality/value
Food layered manufacturing (FLM) is a novel concept that uses a specialized printer to fabricate edible objects by layering edible materials, such as chocolate, confectionaries and pureed fruits and vegetables. FLM is a disruptive technology that enables the creation of personalized and texture-tailored foods, incorporating desired nutritional values and food quality, using a variety of ingredients and additions. This research highlights the potential of SCOBY as a viable material for 3D food printing applications.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors express their sincere appreciation to the Science and Engineering Research Board, Government of India’s Core Research Grant for the project entitled “Development of low-cost 3D printing technology for personalized nutritious food preparation” (Project number: CRG/2022/001161). Furthermore, the authors would like to acknowledge IIITDM Jabalpur, India, JNKVV Jabalpur, India, and NIT Raipur, India, for their invaluable support throughout the research work. Special thanks are extended to the members of the deLOGIC lab for their invaluable assistance.
Conflict of Interest and authorship conformation form:
All authors have participated in conception and design, analysis and interpretation of the data; drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and approval of the final version. The authors declared that we have no conflict of interest in this work.
Citation
Soni, R., Sharma, M., K., P. and Tandon, P. (2024), "SCOBY: an alternate solution to develop cheap and nutritious food by food layered manufacturing (FLM)", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 30 No. 4, pp. 745-759. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-10-2023-0365
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited