Effects of pre-formulation and post-cooking method on the rheological and gelation properties of 3D printed chicken products

•The 3D printability of chicken meat paste is enhanced by fortifying plant oil.•The shift factor of modified Cox-Merz rules well-correlated with 3D print quality.•Cooking methods greatly impact the gelation properties of 3D printed meat products.•Microwave leads to higher fluid retention ability but reduced the details of samples.•Among oil-added 3D printed products, the peanut oil group exhibited greatest quality. This study investigated the influence of oil type (olive, soybean, and peanut oil) and post-cooking methods (oven bake and microwave) on the quality of 3D printed chicken meat products. The Ostwald-de-Waele model was used to describe the flow behavior of chicken meat paste (R2 > 0.995). Oil-fortified groups present significantly lower consistency index (K) and flow behavior index (n), indicating better fluidity. A modified Cox-Merz rule was applied by multiplying angular frequency with shift factors (αSF). Surprisingly, the values of αSF are well-correlated with accuracy parameters of 3D printed cubes (|r| >0.8). For post-heating methods, baking results in higher fluid loss but contributes to a smoother surface. The microwaved gels showed better fluid retention ability and higher accuracy but lost the detail shape of the 3D printing model. Overall, the PO (peanut oil) meat emulsion group presented better textural properties and flat surfaces than other oil-added counterparts.