Strength Profile of Food 3D-Systems: Processed Cheese Technology

3D-printing is gaining more and more popularity in the dairy industry. However, no objective criteria for strength properties have been developed so far. Dairy production needs the ultimate parameters at which a finished 3D-printed dairy product retains its shape and appealing consumer properties. This study tested the strength properties of 3D-systems made from processed cheese. It established a direct correlation between the strength properties and the component composition. Processed cheese cubes of 20 mm each side were obtained from nineteen faces of round filaments with a cross-sectional area of 2 mm², melted layer by layer through an extruder. Protein proved to be the most important component in maintaining the structural and mechanical properties of 3D-systems. The qualitative composition of dairy proteins was as important as its quantity because the samples varied only in the content of skim milk powder and whey protein concentrate. As the protein content increased, the strength properties of the samples deteriorated. The optimal sample had a 1:1.8 mass fraction ratio of whey to casein protein. It exhibited the highest shear (1,831 Pa), tensile (5,885 Pa), and compressive stress (69,068 Pa) values. With increasing casein mass fraction, the strength properties deteriorated. This phenomenon indicated that whey proteins were more suitable for 3D-printing. The obtained data can serve as guidelines in calculating the stability of dairy 3D-systems in the current lack of references and standards.