Chemical and Microbiological Characterization of Freeze-Dried Superworm ( F.) Larvae Pretreated by Blanching and Ultrasound Treatment.
Rados��aw Bogusz, Anna Onopiuk, Klara ��bik, Katarzyna Pobiega, Iga Piasecka, Ma��gorzata Nowacka
Author Information
Rados��aw Bogusz: Department of Food Engineering and Process Management, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, 159c Nowoursynowska Street, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland. ORCID
Anna Onopiuk: Department of Technique and Food Development, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, 159c Nowoursynowska Street, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland. ORCID
Klara ��bik: Department of Technique and Food Development, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, 159c Nowoursynowska Street, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland. ORCID
Katarzyna Pobiega: Department of Food Biotechnology and Microbiology, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, 159c Nowoursynowska Street, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland. ORCID
Iga Piasecka: Department of Chemistry, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, 159c Nowoursynowska Street, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland. ORCID
Ma��gorzata Nowacka: Department of Food Engineering and Process Management, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, 159c Nowoursynowska Street, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland. ORCID
Edible insects may solve the current problem of the greater demand for food for the world's growing human population. This work aimed to examine the impact of blanching (BL) and ultrasound (US) at 20 and 50 ��C as a pretreatment method on the chemical composition, mineral composition, FTIR spectra, presence of allergens and microorganisms, and properties of the isolated oil of freeze-dried superworm larvae. The US treatment resulted in significantly lower protein content (31.65-33.34 g/100 g d.m.) compared to untreated (36.38 g/100 g d.m.) and BL (37.72 g/100 g d.m.) samples. The study demonstrated that the US-treated insects exhibited a lower content of crustacean and mollusk allergens than the BL insects, and the lowest content of tested allergens was found in the US_50��C superworm larvae. Furthermore, oil isolated from US_50��C insects exhibited the lowest SFA and the highest PUFA content and the best prospective nutritional properties expressed through theoretical health indices. The presence of Enterobacteriaceae and anaerobic spore-forming bacteria was not detected in the tested insects, proving suitable microbiological quality. It appears that using US treatment is a promising alternative to traditional blanching of insects before drying.
The research for this publication was carried out with the use of research equipment purchased as part of the "Food and Nutrition Centre-modernisation of the WULS campus to create a Food and Nutrition Research and Development Centre (C��i��)" co-financed by/European Union