3D Food printing: effect of apricot pulp concentration on texture analysis profile and image analysis in a gel cylinder.

Daily consumption of fruits and vegetables is protective against several chronic diseases, mainly due to their content in phytochemicals. On the other hand, consumers increasingly demand functional products that promote health. In this scenario, 3D printing plays an important role in developing customized food formulations. This technique produces three-dimensional food products of any shape and dimension, with desired flavors and nutritional compositions. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of apricot pulp content on the stability and printability of gels. Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) and image analysis after 3D printing were measured. Bovine gelatin gels (5%) were formulated with different concentrations of apricot pulp (30%, 50%, and 70%), and cylinders of 3 cm in diameter and 1 cm in height were printed. An increase in firmness of the printed gel was observed with the rise in the pulp concentration. Concerning image analysis, it was observed that as the concentration of apricot pulp in the samples increased, there was minor deformation of the height dimension. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in pieces for the cylinder area, and all presented a 12% area deformation. From the results obtained, it can be said that the 70% apricot pulp sample has the best texture profile and is the sample with the slightest deformation thanks to its higher fiber and sugar content, which help to maintain a better stabilization of the figure.