Notably for seniors, 3D food printing is an appropriate processing method for creating customized meals that meet their unique nutritional requirements and textural preferences. This study attempted to develop an ink for food 3D printers containing abalone powder and several nutrition properties that meet the criteria for senior-friendly foods. The texture of the products was adjusted using gelatin. The ink consisted of abalone powder (10%), soybean protein (4.5%), polydextrose (2.5%), vitamin C (0.0098%), and gellan gum (1%). To examine the physicochemical properties of the ink, texture, water holding capacity, and rheological properties were measured. In addition, the suitability of the 3D printing was examined. As a result, 3% gelatin 3D food printing ink demonstrated optimal printability and could be converted into foods that could be consumed in one step (teeth intake), depending on the types of food for seniors.

Abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) is a widely consumed seafood in Asian countries. Rich in protein, abalone is consumed for refreshment, pregnancy care, and vitality. Although many studies have found that abalone protein has beneficial effects, the efficiency of the protein extraction method for abalone has rarely been studied. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of various factors of abalone protein extraction, including extraction buffer, sonication, salt (NaCl) concentration, surfactant, and heating. Phosphate buffer showed higher protein yield compared with Tris-HCl buffer. In addition, the highest protein yield for each factor was observed at 60 s of sonication (84.44 µg/mg dw), 0.6 M NaCl (141.9 µg/mg dw), and 16 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) (253.15 µg/mg dw). However, a combined effect was not observed. Lower protein extraction efficiency was observed for sous vide-cooked abalone. The electrophoresis assay revealed myofibrillar proteins, including paramyosin, actin, and tropomyosin. Overall, our results demonstrate that various extract conditions affect the protein extraction of abalone.