Material, Process and Business Development for 3D Chocolate Printing

Abstract This book chapter presents the exploratory research on the development and business application of a 3D chocolate printing technology as a value-added manufacturing approach for the special tasty and sweet food material. It introduces the background of the development of the three-dimensional (3D) chocolate printing and investigates the commercial feasibility of the chocolate supply chain-centric business models by computer modelling and simulation. As chocolate represents a complex composite material, its material formulation and properties (i.e., rheology, melting temperature and solidification rate) have direct impacts on the chocolate extrusion and solidification behaviours during the layer-by-layer 3D printing (3DP) process. The deposition experiment studies used a laboratory-based chocolate additive layer manufacture (ChocALM) prototype machine. It revealed that the extrusion rate, nozzle velocity and nozzle height are crucial to the chocolate deposition and 3D forming. Also, a further investigation was made on improving the chocolate printing quality and forming efficiency by using a commercial 3D chocolate printer, Choc Creator 2.0 Plus supplied by Choc Edge Ltd. An improvement was performed through the optimisation of the printing thickness, velocity and overhang angle. Furthermore, the feasibility of changing chocolate formulation, in particular, cocoa content, as well as adding healthcare food ingredients or medicine elements into 3D printing chocolate, was analysed with a scope to enhance the business application of 3D chocolate printing. It provides a great potential to extend the application from the personalised sweet treatment to healthcare solutions, representing an opportunity to further enhance the commercial value and facilitate the business development of 3D chocolate printing.