**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** BIOACTIVE FOOD COMPOUNDS (I.E., MICRONUTRIENTS) HAVE NUMEROUS HEALTH-PROMOTING ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING ANTICANCER, ANTIVIRAL, AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES. HOWEVER, THEY HAVE POOR CHEMICAL STABILITY, CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE, AND LOW WATER SOLUBILITY, DRASTICALLY LIMITING THEIR EFFECTIVE ABSORPTION IN THE BODY AND THEIR UTILIZATION IN FOODS. TO ADDRESS THESE PROBLEMS, THE PROPOSED RESEARCH PROJECT AIMS TO ENCAPSULATE BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS USING 3D FOOD PRINTING TO ENHANCE THEIR BIOAVAILABILITY AND STABILITY. THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS OF THIS RESEARCH IS THAT ENCAPSULATION OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS INTO FOOD-GRADE STARCH HYDROGELS VIA 3D PRINTING WILL DECREASE THE SIZE AND CRYSTALLINITY OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS, AND INCREASE THEIR SOLUBILIZATION AND BIOACCESSIBILITY. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ARE: (1) DEVELOP AND OPTIMIZE A 3D FOOD PRINTING PLATFORM AND ITS OPERATIONAL PROTOCOLS TO ENCAPSULATE BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS, AND (2) DETERMINE THE BIOACCESSIBILITY OF MODEL BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS ENCAPSULATED IN THE 3D-PRINTED STARCH GELS. OVERALL, THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A STARCH-BASED 3D FOOD PRINTING ENCAPSULATION APPROACH THAT IS SCALABLE, CONTINUOUS, CUSTOMIZABLE, AND SAFE FOR FOOD APPLICATIONS. THIS PROJECT SUPPORTS THE USDA STRATEGIC GOAL 4, PROVIDE ALL AMERICANS SAFE, NUTRITIOUS FOOD BY DEVELOPING AN INNOVATIVE MANUFACTURING PLATFORM TECHNOLOGY THAT IMPROVES THE QUALITY AND NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF FOODS AND FOOD INGREDIENTS.