Rheological, structural and textural characteristics of 3D-printed and conventionally-produced gluten-free snack made with chickpea and lupin flour

This work reports the impact of 3D printing technology on the moisture content, microstructure and sensory perception of gluten-free (GF) snack-bites made using lupin or chickpea flour in combination with pea protein isolates. All GF ink formulations showed viscoelastic behaviour and stable dimensional stability. Higher moisture loss was observed with 3D-printed snack-bites as compared to conventionally-produced snack-bites, which was attributed to higher moisture mobility in the layer-by-layer structure that contained air-gaps/pores. X-ray microtomography showed larger air-gaps, and a layered and dense microstructure on the edges of 3D-printed snackbites, as compared to the conventionally-processed snack-bites. Check-all-that-apply (CATA) sensory analysis showed significant differences in sensory profiles between the lupin and chickpea formulations in terms of both flavour and texture perception. Paired-comparison testing with the lupin formulations showed that the 3D-printed snack-bites were harder, and had a more crumbly texture, than the snack-bites manufactured conventionally.