Microscale 3D printing of fish analogues using soy protein food ink

Plant-based meat analogues manufactured by three-dimensional (3D) food printing technology have increased in popularity nowadays. In this study, we used soy protein isolate (SPI), xanthan gum (XG) and rice starch (RS) as food ink for the 3D printing of fish analogues. We evaluated the printability of SPI/XG/RS food ink at different concentration ratios, and by adjusting the printing parameters, the high printing resolution of filaments (97.36 μm in width) in the range of real fish muscle fibers was successfully achieved. Fish analogues with similar texture properties to real fish meats were obtained by regulating their structural geometries, revealing the ability of 3D printing to tune to the myofiber-like texture of meat analogues. Thus, it was demonstrated that the high-precision 3D printing at the microscale could produce plant-based fish meat-like structures, providing a systematic approach to 3D print food analogues with the favorable mouthfeel.