The research progress of physical regulation techniques in 3D food printing

With the increasing application of three-dimensional printing, (3D printing) in the modern food processing industry, research in this area has made great progress. Recently, the application of physical regulation techniques in 3D food printing has been of great interest to researchers to improve printing quality. This review summarizes the various physical methods used in the pre-, in-process, and post-treatment of 3D food printing. Further, the application of energy-carrying electromagnetic fields, ultrasonic, and electric heating in the whole process of 3D food printing is highlighted. Their mechanisms of action and treatment effects on printing substrates with different properties are also described. Different from pre-printing methods such as expanding the range of printing substrates and adding functional materials to improve printing characteristics, physical methods such as energy-carrying electromagnetic fields, electrothermal regulation, and forming modes can affect the final quality of the printed product. This can be from printing substrate preparation to post-treatment, and expansion to four-dimensional printing, (4D printing). Successful printing requires a reasonable selection and combination of various physical regulation techniques. This helps to improve substrate printing characteristics based on different material properties and desired results to obtain high-quality printed products, according to this review.