TastePrint: A 3D Food Printing System for Layer-wise Taste Distribution via Airbrushed Liquid Seasoning

Abstract: 3D food printing enables the customization of food shapes and textures, but typically produces uniform taste profiles due to the limited diversity of printable materials. We present TastePrint, a 3D food printing system that achieves layer-wise spatial taste distribution by dynamically applying liquid seasonings with a programmable airbrush during fabrication. The system integrates (1) a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows users to import 3D models, slice them into layers, and specify spray positions and intensities for each layer, and (2) a customized 3D food printer equipped with a multi-nozzle spray mechanism. We evaluated the system through technical experiments quantifying spray resolution and deposition accuracy, together with an exploratory usability study involving three home cooks designing personalized taste patterns. The spray-resolution model achieved R2 = 0.86, the spray-amount model achieved R2 = 0.99, and participants completed the design task in approximately 15 min on average. These results indicate that TastePrint can control seasoning placement and quantity with good repeatability while supporting exploratory taste-design workflows. This work establishes a technical foundation for decoupling food geometry from taste design and motivates future sensory studies on personalized, multisensory food fabrication.