Insects, a traditional food in many parts of the world, are highly nutritious and especially rich in proteins and thus represent a potential food and protein source. A compilation of 236 nutrient compositions in addition to amino acid spectra and fatty acid compositions as well as mineral and vitamin contents of various edible insects as derived from literature is given and the risks and benefits of entomophagy are discussed. Although the data were subject to a large variation, it could be concluded that many edible insects provide satisfactorily with energy and protein, meet amino acid requirements for humans, are high in MUFA and/or PUFA, and rich in several micronutrients such as copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, selenium, and zinc as well as riboflavin, pantothenic acid, biotin, and in some cases folic acid. Liabilities of entomophagy include the possible content of allergenic and toxic substances as well as antinutrients and the presence of pathogens. More data are required for a thorough assessment of the nutritional potential of edible insects and proper processing and decontamination methods have to be developed to ensure food safety.

https://thepaleodiet.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/2013-Rumpold-Nutritional-composition.pdf

Nutritional composition and safety aspects of edible insects

Edible insects, a traditional food all over the world, are highly nutritious with high fat, protein and mineral contents depending on the species and thus represent a noteworthy alternative food and feed source and a potential substitute e. g. for fishmeal in feed formulae. Research is required to develop and automatize cost-effective, energy-efficient and microbially safe rearing, harvest and post harvest processing technologies as well as sanitation procedures to ensure food and feed safety and produce safe insect products at a reasonable price on an industrial scale especially in comparison to meat products. In addition, consumer acceptance needs to be established. Potential and challenges along the production chain of insects for food and feed are discussed based on published data and future research needs are derived from recent literature. Industrial relevance text With the increasing demand in alternative protein sources world-wide, insects represent an innovative food and feed source rich in high quality protein as well as other beneficial nutritional ingredients such as fat, minerals and vitamins. Despite traditional knowledge about insects and their harvest in the wild, for the industrial mass production of safe insects and insect products for consumption and for processing into food and feed, the development of rearing, harvest as well as post-harvest technologies is required.

Potential and challenges of insects as an innovative source for food and feed production

Chemical modifications of polysaccharides and their anti-tumor activities.

The effect of ultrasound irradiation on the physicochemical properties and α-glucosidase inhibitory effect of blackberry fruit polysaccharide

Though essential oils exhibit antibacterial activity against food pathogens, their underlying mechanism is understudied. We extracted ginger essential oil (GEO) using supercritical CO2 and steam distillation. A chemical composition comparison by GC-MS showed that the main components of the extracted GEOs were zingiberene and α-curcumene. Their antibacterial activity and associated mechanism against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were investigated. The diameter of inhibition zone (DIZ) of GEO against S. aureus was 17.1 mm, with a minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of 1.0 mg/mL, and minimum bactericide concentration (MBC) of 2.0 mg/mL. For E. coli, the DIZ was 12.3 mm with MIC and MBC values of 2.0 mg/mL and 4.0 mg/mL, respectively. The SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that some of the electrophoretic bacterial cell proteins bands disappeared with the increase in GEO concentration. Consequently, the nucleic acids content of bacterial suspension was raised significantly and the metabolic activity of bacteria was markedly decreased. GEO could thus inhibit the expression of some genes linked to bacterial energy metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle, cell membrane-related proteins, and DNA metabolism. Our findings speculate the bactericidal effects of GEO primarily through disruption of the bacterial cell membrane indicating its suitability in food perseveration.

https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/17/3955/pdf

Antibacterial Activity and Mechanism of Ginger Essential Oil against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

Modification of wheat bran insoluble dietary fiber with carboxymethylation, complex enzymatic hydrolysis and ultrafine comminution.

The effects of cysteine, initial pH, and thermal treatment on the color and flavor derived from Maillard reaction of flaxseed protein hydrolysates were investigated. Browning and color of Maillard ...

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10942912.2019.1573830

Color and flavor of flaxseed protein hydrolysates Maillard reaction products: effect of cysteine, initial pH, and thermal treatment

The present study explored the molecular mechanism by which licochalcone B induces the cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human hepatoma cell HepG2. Initial extraction and identification were performed by HPLC, UPLC-TOF-MS/MS, and NMR analysis, respectively. Licochalcone B inhibited the HepG2 growth with IC50 (110.15 μM) after 24 h, caused morphological distortion, and seized the cell cycle in the G2/M phase (cell arrest in G2/M:43.1 ± 2.2% for 120 μM versus 23.7 ± 1.2% for control), as well as induced apoptosis and intracellular ROS generation. Furthermore, exposure to licochalcone B markedly affected the cell cycle (up/down regulation) at mRNA and protein levels. Apoptosis was induced through the activation of receptor-mediated and mitochondrial pathways. The inhibition of Caspase 8 and Caspase 9 proteins abolished the licochalcone B induced apoptosis. The present work suggested that licochalcone B may further be identified as a potent functional food component with specific health benefits.

Ai-Mei Liao

Papers

Modification of wheat bran insoluble dietary fiber with carboxymethylation, complex enzymatic hydrolysis and ultrafine comminution.

Color and flavor of flaxseed protein hydrolysates Maillard reaction products: effect of cysteine, initial pH, and thermal treatment

Licochalcone B Extracted from Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch Induces Apoptotic Effects in Human Hepatoma Cell HepG2.

Aromatic effects of immobilized enzymatic oxidation of chicken fat on flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) derived Maillard reaction products

Evaluation of structural, functional, and anti-oxidant potential of differentially extracted polysaccharides from potatoes peels.