Investigation of 3D Food-Printing Materials Derived from Chickpea Cooking Water (Aquafaba)

Abstract

In contemporary society, growing concerns about health and the environment have encouraged a shift toward vegan and vegetarian diets. Aquafaba, the cooking water of chickpeas, has gained attention as a potential egg substitute owing to its foaming capacity and viscosity. This study investigated the optimal dough formulation and printing conditions for aquafaba-based cookie dough using 3D food printing. A fused deposition modeling 3D printer was modified to enable syringe-based extrusion of the dough. Among the tested conditions, the 1:2 and 1:2.5 aquafaba ratios showed the most favorable results, exhibiting foaming stability of 86.27% and 77.76%, moisture losses of 22% and 23%, post-baking pH values close to neutral, and minimal color differences. These findings demonstrate that aquafaba possesses physical and visual properties comparable to those of egg-based dough and may serve as a functional plant-based material for 3D food printing and vegan baking applications.