Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Food Science

Advisor/Mentor

Jamie, Baum

Committee Member

Denzer, Morgan

Second Committee Member

Ubeyitogullari, Ali

Abstract

Protein is a priority nutrient in the American diet, being fueled by the demands of weight loss drugs, diet culture, and new dietary guidelines. However, meeting these elevated protein goals sustainably requires diversifying beyond standard sources like whey protein isolate. 3D printing offers an opportunity to present a variety of protein sources in a palatable, customized, and consumer-acceptable format. In this study, 3 protein sources (cricket, whey, and pea), were optimized within food inks for 3D printing. Optimization involved different hydration levels, with whey requiring 7 grams of added water, cricket 22 grams, and pea the most at 47 grams. Rheological properties of raw food inks, proximate composition of cooked bars, texture of cooked bars, and color analysis were evaluated. All protein inks displayed stability after printing; however, whey showed the lowest visible shape retention after printing. In proximate analysis, cricket had the lowest protein and highest ash and fat, and pea retained the most moisture postprocessing. Shear-thinning behavior was observed for all raw food inks and the frequency sweep showed G’ > G” indicating predominantly solid-like, gel-structured behavior for all food inks. Beyond functional properties, there were significant color differences among samples, with cricket having the darkest color profile and pea having the lightest. Whey had the highest hardness and toughness in cooked samples. More research needs to be done on the consumer acceptability and sensory perception of printed protein products, but the results of this study show that 3D printing can be effective in utilizing a variety of protein sources in customized protein products.

Keywords

Alternative proteins; 3-D food printing; Extrusion-based food printing; Cricket protein; Pea protein; Whey protein

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