Effect of starch molecular structure on precision and texture properties of 3D printed products

This work evaluated the influence of starch molecular structure on the precision and textural properties of 3D printed products. Results showed that starch gels with higher content of short amylopectin (AP) chains for 13 < X ≤ 24, the degree of polymerization at peak maximum of amylose (AM) chains (XAM), and AM chains for 5000 < X ≤ 20000 facilitated the rheological properties of starch gels, which in turn promoted their smooth extrusion in the 3D printing process. Small average molecular size of whole starch (‾Rh) and the high proportion of amylose chains for 100 < X ≤ 1000 of starch which was related to water distribution of starch gels were beneficial to the accuracy of 3D printed products. The proportion of AP chains for 6 < X ≤ 24 and AM chains for 5000 < X ≤ 20000 had significant negative and positive correlations with the hardness and resilience of the 3D printed products, respectively. This study provides useful information for the application of 3D printing in starch-based food production.