Volume: 3, 2024
3rd International PhD Student’s Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland:
ENVIRONMENT – PLANT – ANIMAL – PRODUCT
Abstract number: F026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL3.F026
Published online: 24 April 2024
ICDSUPL, 3, F026 (2024)
Nutritional value of yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor L.) dried with convective and freeze-drying methods
Radosław Bogusz1*, Joanna Bryś2, Aneta Tomczak3, Anna Onopiuk4, Przemysław Łukasz Kowalczewski5, Małgorzata Nowacka1
1 Department of Food Engineering and Process Management, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
2 Department of Chemistry, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
3 Department of Biochemistry and Food Analysis, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Mazowiecka 48, 60-623 Poznan, Poland
4 Department of Technique and Food Development, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Science, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
5 Department of Food Technology of Plant Origin, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 28, 60-637 Poznan, Poland
* Corresponding author: radoslaw_bogusz@sggw.edu.pl
Abstract
The growth of the world’s population, limited natural resources, and environmental changes cause looking for new food sources. Edible insects could be the answer to these needs. Insects are considered a solution to ensure the sustainable use of resources for food production. Insects also have an interesting chemical composition, in particular, a complete protein with a favourable amino acid profile as well as fat with a high content of unsaturated fatty acids. One of the most commonly used food processing methods is drying. Depending on the drying method and parameters, the quality of the dried materials is different. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of the drying method on the quality of dried yellow mealworms. The material was dried using convective (temperature 90°C, airflow 1.5 m/s) and freeze-drying (temperature 40°C, pressure 63 Pa) methods. Protein content was determined by the Kjeldahl method, fat content by the Soxhlet method, amino acid profile by Ultra High Performance/Pressure Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC), fatty acid composition by gas chromatography, and allergen content using the ELISA method. The current study exhibits a comparable fat content for tested samples, while the protein content was significantly lower in freeze-dried insects. It was noticed that the freeze-dried insects were characterized by a lower content of individual amino acids, especially essential amino acids, than the convective-dried method. Among the detected essential amino acids, the leucine content was the highest, followed by lysine and valine. The fat extracted from dried insects was composed of up to 75% unsaturated fatty acids and was mainly represented by myristic (C14:0), palmitic (C16:0), oleic (C18:1 n-9c), and linoleic (C18:2 n-6c) acids. Freeze-dried insects were characterized by a significantly higher crustacean content and a significantly lower mollusc content compared to convective-dried insects. To summarize, dried insects are characterized by a high nutritional value and could be used for enriching food naturally low, e.g. in the essential amino acids or unsaturated fatty acids.
Keywords: edible insects, drying, amino acid profile, fatty acid composition, allergen content
How to cite
R. Bogusz, J. Bryś, A. Tomczak, A. Onopiuk, P.Ł. Kowalczewski, M. Nowacka, 2024. Nutritional value of yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor L.) dried with convective and freeze-drying methods. In: 3rd International PhD Student’s Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland: Environment – Plant – Animal – Product. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL3.F026