Abstract

As worldwide interest in sustainable and nutritious foods grows, additive manufacturing methods like 3D binder jetting printing are becoming key innovations in the food sector. Compared to extrusion techniques, binder jetting provides high-resolution structuring, diverse material options, and scalability—making it an ideal platform for creating advanced personalised food formulations, such as alternative protein foods, with customised textures, shapes, and sensory qualities. This presentation investigates how binder jetting technology can be combined with innovative food compounds, including plant-based, fungal, algal, and cultivated proteins, to create customisable and sustainable food items. Binder jetting controls nutritional content, texture, and appearance by tuning powder and binder interactions, microstructure, and post-processing steps. This achieves a balance between functionality and consumer preferences. The research team at Monash University is developing food-safe binders for designing advanced edible powder formulations, following process improvements aimed at increasing print accuracy and structural stability while minimising energy and water usage. In addition, the incorporation of bioactive compounds, personalised nutrition profiles and targeted sensitive ingredients through the digestion process will be discussed. Overall, binder jetting represents a critical revolution in food manufacturing and design, offering a route to resource-efficient, sustainable, and customised food solutions that can tackle the growing challenge of food security.

Biography 

Shahnaz Mansouri is a lecturer at the School of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Monash University with a background in Chemical and Process Engineering (PhD), Food Engineering & Technology (Bachelor’s & Master’s degrees) and Teaching (Master’s degree). She is the Course Coordinator for the Master of Food Science and Agribusiness. Her research is focused on future food & pharmaceutical engineering and education. Shahnaz has over 15 years of research experience in food manufacturing in Australia and overseas. She has worked in research and development and quality control for various food manufacturing companies, locally in Australia and abroad, to improve quality.