Effect of freeze-thaw dehydration pretreatment and bacterial cellulose addition on 3D printing performance of whole potato flour complex gel as dysphagia diets.

In this study, whole potato flour (WP) was modified through freeze-thaw dehydration (FTD) and the incorporation of bacterial cellulose (BC) to enhance the 3D printability of its gel. The effects of FTD pretreatment and BC addition on 3D printing performance of whole potato flour complex gel were systematically investigated. The results demonstrated that FTD treatment led to an increase in the amylopectin content of whole potato flour gel, while BC addition enhanced the short-range order, relative crystallinity and aggregate structure of the starch. These effects synergistically improved the storage modulus (G'), loss modulus (G″), and apparent viscosity of whole potato flour complex gel, resulting in a more uniform and compact network structure. Consequently, the 3D printing accuracy of the complex gel was significantly enhanced. Whole potato flour gel, after undergoing FTD and containing 0.4 %BC, demonstrated the highest 3D printing accuracy at 90.68 ± 0.11 %. This value was 6 % higher compared to the control group. All samples were classified as level 6-soft and bite-sized dysphagia diets in the IDDSI tests and reduced eGI value of the whole potato flour gel. These results would offer novel designing strategies and theoretical guidance to improve the application of whole potato flour complex gels in 3D printing as dysphagia diets.