Exploring mussel adhesive protein as a natural Pickering emulsion stabilizer for 3D food printing applications

IF 5.8 2区农林科学 Q1 ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL

Journal of Food Engineering Pub Date : 2025-09-09 DOI:10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112811

Zinuo An, Liangbin Hu, Xiaoyue Gong, Wenjing Wang, Jianli Zhang, Haizhen Mo, Dan Xu, Zhenbin Liu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Mussel adhesive protein (MAP), a natural biopolymer rich in 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), has inspired extensive research into bioinspired materials, primarily targeting challenges in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering; however, its application in sustainable food formulations remains underexplored. In this study, MAP was combined with xanthan gum (XG) to stabilize Pickering emulsion gels with improved stability and 3D printability. Structural analyses confirmed that MAP and XG interacted mainly through hydrogen bonding and physical entanglement, enhancing network porosity and thermal stability. Accelerated aging tests showed that MAPXG1.6 maintained stability for 30 days without phase separation, while MAPXG0.8 exhibited Ostwald ripening. Rheological tests revealed shear-thinning behavior across all formulations. Notably, yield stress increased from 1.44 Pa (0 % XG) to 60.91 Pa (1.6 % w/v XG), accompanied by markedly enhanced thixotropic recovery, confirming the formation of a robust MAPXG network essential for extrusion fidelity. Water loss assays indicated that formulations with ≥1.2 % w/v XG retained significantly more moisture, supporting gel integrity. Extrusion-based 3D printing further demonstrated that emulsions with 1.2–1.6 % w/v XG produced high-fidelity cubes and hollow cylinders, maintaining structural stability for at least 5 days, whereas ≤0.8 % w/v XG samples collapsed rapidly. These findings highlight that rational tuning of XG concentration confers MAP-stabilized emulsions with long-term stability and reliable printability, offering a promising marine protein-based platform for sustainable 3D food inks.

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探索贻贝胶蛋白作为天然Pickering乳液稳定剂的3D食品打印应用

贻贝黏附蛋白（MAP）是一种富含3,4-二羟基苯丙氨酸（DOPA）的天然生物聚合物，激发了对生物材料的广泛研究，主要针对再生医学和组织工程方面的挑战；然而，它在可持续食品配方中的应用仍未得到充分探索。在这项研究中，MAP与黄原胶（XG）结合使用，以稳定皮克林乳液凝胶，提高了稳定性和3D打印性。结构分析证实，MAP和XG主要通过氢键和物理缠结相互作用，增强了网络孔隙度和热稳定性。加速老化试验表明，MAPXG1.6在无相分离的情况下保持了30天的稳定性，而MAPXG0.8则表现为奥斯特瓦尔德成熟。流变试验揭示了所有配方的剪切减薄行为。值得注意的是，屈服应力从1.44 Pa （0% XG）增加到60.91 Pa (1.6% w/v XG)，并伴随着触变恢复的显著增强，证实了强大的MAPXG网络的形成，这对挤压保真度至关重要。失水测试表明，≥1.2% w/v XG的配方保留了更多的水分，支持了凝胶的完整性。基于挤压的3D打印进一步证明，当w/v XG含量为1.2 - 1.6%时，乳剂可以产生高保真的立方体和空心圆柱体，并能保持至少5天的结构稳定性，而当w/v XG含量≤0.8%时，乳剂会迅速坍塌。这些发现强调，合理调整XG浓度可以使map稳定的乳液具有长期稳定性和可靠的可打印性，为可持续的3D食品油墨提供了一个有前途的基于海洋蛋白质的平台。

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来源期刊

Journal of Food Engineering 工程技术-工程：化工

CiteScore

11.80

自引率

5.50%

发文量

275

审稿时长

24 days

期刊介绍： The journal publishes original research and review papers on any subject at the interface between food and engineering, particularly those of relevance to industry, including: Engineering properties of foods, food physics and physical chemistry; processing, measurement, control, packaging, storage and distribution; engineering aspects of the design and production of novel foods and of food service and catering; design and operation of food processes, plant and equipment; economics of food engineering, including the economics of alternative processes. Accounts of food engineering achievements are of particular value.