Unilver and scientists develop more fun chocolate using 3D printing technology

Researchers from the University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University, Two Delft and Unilever Innovation Center harnessed the power of 3D printing to improve the texture of chocolate products.

An important factor in food is not only the general taste, but also the texture and general sensory experience of eating. For this reason, food researchers are trying to make foods in this area more attractive. It can also help make healthy or meatless meals more popular.

In an effort to make such foods tastier, more and more startups and research groups are experimenting in the lab to customize them using 3D printing. Just last year, we reported on progress in this area at startup MeaTech.

Using structure optimization, the scientists were able to change the way the 3D-printed food slices when bitten on, making it more enjoyable to eat. They’ve shown this with chocolate, but this approach can be used to improve the “sense of the mouth” for other foods in the future.

The results of the researchers were presented in their paper entitled “Super edible mechanical material with a fracture designed to control mouth sensation“Described. The work was written by Andre Soto, Jian Zhang, Alejandro M. Aragon, and Krasimir B. Velikov, and Corentin Colais.