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3D Food Printing: Future Outlooks and Applications in Food Processing
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3D Food Printing: Future Outlooks and Applications in Food Processing

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (27 February 2026) | Viewed by 1111

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Meiqi Fan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Food Bioscience, College of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Republic of Korea
Interests: 3D food printing; food chemistry; functional foods; microbiota; metabolism
Prof. Dr. Chuan Li

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Functional Food of Hainan Province, School of Food Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Interests: 3D food printing; aquatic product processing; storage; food nutrition; functional evaluation; multi-omics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

3D food printing represents a revolutionary approach to food processing that combines digital fabrication technologies with culinary innovation. This emerging technology offers unprecedented opportunities to customize food products for specific nutritional needs, create complex geometric structures previously impossible to achieve through conventional methods, and potentially transform food manufacturing, distribution, and consumption patterns. As global food systems face mounting challenges related to sustainability, resource efficiency, and personalized nutrition, 3D food printing presents promising solutions across multiple domains.

This Special Issue aims to explore the latest advances, applications, and future prospects of 3D food printing technologies in food processing. We welcome research papers, reviews, and perspective articles addressing the technical innovations, material formulations, nutritional aspects, consumer acceptance, sustainability implications, and commercial applications of 3D food printing, with the goal of advancing this transformative technology toward practical implementation in our food systems.

Dr. Meiqi Fan
Prof. Dr. Chuan Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • 3D food printing
  • additive manufacturing
  • food processing innovation
  • personalized nutrition
  • food texture design
  • sustainable food production
  • food material science
  • digital gastronomy
  • food structure engineering
  • future food technology

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 1725 KB  
Article
Improving Texture and Protein Content in 3D-Printed Plant-Based Foods for Dysphagia: A Study of Pea-Protein and Curcumin-Enriched Oleogel Formulations
by Heremans Camille, Baugier Benjamin, De Rijdt Mathieu, Bradfer Roxane, Potvin Nelly, Ayadi Mohamed, Haubruge Eric and Goffin Dorothée
Foods 2026, 15(7), 1125; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15071125 - 25 Mar 2026
Viewed by 639
Abstract
Texture-modified foods (TMFs) are essential for individuals with dysphagia, yet conventional formulations often lack structural consistency, nutritional density, and sensory appeal. Three-dimensional (3D) food printing offers new opportunities to tailor texture and composition. This study developed 3D-printed TMFs based on a lentil-carrot matrix [...] Read more.
Texture-modified foods (TMFs) are essential for individuals with dysphagia, yet conventional formulations often lack structural consistency, nutritional density, and sensory appeal. Three-dimensional (3D) food printing offers new opportunities to tailor texture and composition. This study developed 3D-printed TMFs based on a lentil-carrot matrix and formulated with pea protein isolate (PPI), a curcumin-enriched oleogel (O), or their combination (PPI–O), and compared them with a commercial dysphagia thickener reference. Printability was assessed through extrusion force measurements and dimensional deviation analysis. Texture profile analysis (TPA), International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) tests, moisture and protein content determination, color measurements, and preliminary sensory evaluation were conducted. PPI-containing formulations required higher extrusion forces but showed improved dimensional stability, hardness, cohesiveness, and gumminess compared with the oleogel-only sample, likely due to the formation of a stronger protein network. In contrast, the oleogel-only formulation exhibited lower mechanical resistance and a more pronounced melting perception, reflecting the lubricating effect of the lipid-based matrix. Protein content significantly increased with PPI incorporation, and curcumin-enriched oleogel also markedly influenced color parameters. All samples were classified as compatible with IDDSI Level 5. The hybrid PPI–O formulation provided a balanced combination of printability, structural fidelity, enhanced protein content, and suitable textural properties. These findings suggest that extrusion-based 3D printing may represent a promising approach for designing plant-based TMFs for dysphagia-oriented foods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 3D Food Printing: Future Outlooks and Applications in Food Processing)
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