4D Food Printing: Transforming Culinary Creation with Time-Responsive Technology

Four-dimensional (4D) printing represents an innovative extension of 3D printing technology, introducing the concept of temporal transformations in fabricated structures. This review explores the key aspects of 4D printing, including materials, techniques, and applications, with a special focus on 4D printing in the realm of food. Smart materials, such as shape memory polymers, liquid crystal elastomers, and composite hydrogels, are fundamental to achieving dynamic responses in 4D printing. The review discusses the potential of 4D bioprinting and its applications in fields like tissue engineering and drug delivery. In the context of 4D food printing, the customization of food products and the use of stimulus-responsive materials are examined, along with the role of printing software in shaping the quality of printed objects. The paper also underscores the current research gap in 4D food printing and its nascent stage. Ultimately, 4D printing offers a promising avenue for creating dynamic structures that adapt to various stimuli, with far-reaching implications across multiple domains.