3D food printing for encapsulating micronutrients with enhanced stability and bioavailability

Overview

This innovative technology leverages 3D food printing to encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic bioactive compounds, significantly enhancing their stability and bioavailability. By employing a coaxial extrusion method with a spiral-cube geometry, this solution uses lutein-loaded zein and anthocyanins-loaded corn starch paste to effectively protect and deliver bioactive compounds. The technology addresses the challenge of co-encapsulating both types of compounds, which can work synergistically to provide enhanced health benefits, offering a sustainable and personalized nutrition solution.

Technical specifications

Key features:

• Utilizes coaxial extrusion 3D printing with spiral-cube geometry for encapsulation
• Employs food-grade biopolymers: lutein-loaded zein as core and anthocyanins-loaded corn starch as shell
• Enhances storage stability and bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds
• Patent-pending technology with demonstrated increase in stability and bioavailability
• Plans for further validation include testing in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids

Technology readiness level

This technology is currently at TRL 4, indicating that it has been validated in a lab environment. The next steps involve further development and optimization of the 3D food printing approach, along with extensive testing of bioactive compound release and bioaccessibility.