Inkjet-based surface structuring: amplifying sweetness perception through additive manufacturing in foods

Burkard, Johannes; Kohler, Lucas; Berger, Tanja; Logean, Mitsuko; Mishra, Kim; Windhab, Erich J.; Denkel, Christoph (2023). Inkjet-based surface structuring: amplifying sweetness perception through additive manufacturing in foods npj Science of Food, 7(42), pp. 1-9. Nature Publishing Group 10.1038/s41538-023-00218-x

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Additive manufacturing (AM) is creating new possibilities for innovative tailoring of food properties through multiscale structuring. This research investigated a high-speed inkjet-based technique aimed to modify sweetness perception by creating dot patterns on chocolate surfaces. The dots were formulated from cocoa butter with emulsified water droplets containing the sweetener thaumatin. The number and surface arrangement of dots, which ranged from uniformly distributed patterns to concentrated configurations at the sample’s center and periphery, were varied while maintaining a constant total amount of thaumatin per sample. A sensory panel evaluated sweetness perception at three consumption time points, reporting a significant increase when thaumatin was concentrated on the surface. Specifically, an amplification of sweetness perception by up to 300% was observed, irrespective of dot pattern or consumption time, when compared to samples where thaumatin was uniformly distributed throughout the bulk. However, when thaumatin was concentrated solely at the sample center, maximum sweetness perception decreased by 24%. Conclusively, both the proximity of thaumatin to taste receptors and its spatial distribution, governed by different dot arrangements, significantly influenced taste responsiveness. These findings present a more effective technique to substantially enhance sweetness perception compared to traditional manufacturing techniques. This method concurrently allows for sensorial and visual customization of products. The implications of this study are far-reaching, opening avenues for industrially relevant AM applications, and innovative approaches to study taste formation and perception during oral processing of foods.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL > Consumer-focused Food Production
Name:	Burkard, Johannes; Kohler, Lucas; Berger, Tanja; Logean, Mitsuko; Mishra, Kim; Windhab, Erich J. and Denkel, Christoph0000-0003-3774-2537
ISSN:	2396-8370
Publisher:	Nature Publishing Group
Language:	English
Submitter:	Sven Nägeli
Date Deposited:	01 Sep 2023 10:52
Last Modified:	01 Sep 2023 10:52
Publisher DOI:	10.1038/s41538-023-00218-x
ARBOR DOI:	10.24451/arbor.19776
URI:	https://arbor.bfh.ch/id/eprint/19776