AccScience Publishing / IJB / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/IJB026250255
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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Flowability and extrusion behavior of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.) prepupae protein powder for three-dimensional food printing applications

Timilehin Martins Oyinloye1,2,3† ,  Jirawat Yongsawatdigul4† ,  Sununta Chumee4 ,  Yupa Hanboonsong5 ,  Won Byong Yoon1,2,3*
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1 Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon, Republic of Korea
2 Elder-Friendly Food Research Center, Agriculture and Life Science Research Institute, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon, Republic of Korea
3 Department of Food Biotechnology and Environmental Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon, Republic of Korea
4 School of Food Technology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
5 Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
†These authors contributed equally to this work.
IJB, 026250255 https://doi.org/10.36922/IJB026250255
Received: 15 June 2026 | Revised: 21 July 2026 | Accepted: 23 July 2026 | Published online: 23 July 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.) prepupae (BSFP) are a sustainable protein source, but the use of full-fat prepupal protein powder in extrusion-based three-dimensional food printing is limited by poor structure and flow control. This study developed black soldier fly prepupal protein-based pastes and evaluated the effects of tapioca starch concentration and thermal treatment on rheology, die swell, and printing stability. Pastes were formulated at 80% moisture content using 0.5% gellan gum, tapioca starch at 0%, 2.5%, or 5%, and corresponding BSFP powder contents of 24.87%, 21.98%, and 19.09%, respectively. Thermal treatment significantly strengthened the paste structure, increasing the initial storage modulus to 3,998.56, 6,248.78, and 8,891.23 Pa for 0%, 2.5%, and 5% starch, respectively. Steady shear analysis showed shear-thinning behavior, while model-estimated yield stress after heating increased from 363.577 to 636.062 Pa with starch addition. Large-amplitude oscillatory shear and Chebyshev coefficient analysis showed that starch increased nonlinear elastic resistance and strain stiffening. However, 5% starch caused the high die swell ratio of 1.96 and edge roughness of 0.074 mm. The 2.5% starch formulation showed the lowest edge roughness of 0.049 mm and thickness variation of 8.1%, producing the most stable printed structure. Overall, moderate starch addition improved printability by balancing flow, recovery, and shape retention.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Black soldier fly prepupae powder
Small-amplitude oscillatory shear
Large-amplitude oscillatory shear
Die swell
Three-dimensional printing
Image analysis
Funding
This research was supported by the ANCHOR program through the Gangwon ANCHOR Center, funded by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Gangwon State (G.S), Republic of Korea (2026-ANCHOR-10-002). This research was also funded by the National Science, Research, and Innovation Fund (NSRF) via the Program Management Unit for Human Resources & Institutional Development, Research, and Innovation (grant number B38G670001), Thailand, and supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF2018R1D1A3B06042501).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing
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