The Influence of Different Sustainable Substrates on the Nutritional Value of Tenebrio molitor Larvae.

Every year, over 30% of food production is wasted. However, promoting a sustainable food supply not only fosters economic stability in agriculture and the food industry, but also safeguards precious natural resources and ensures universal food access and safety. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine how specific growth conditions (utilizing by-products: sprouted potatoes (1), wheat bran (2), brewers' spent grain (3), and a control sample with agar-agar gels (4)) affect the larvae of yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor). This includes their nutritional and energy value, consumer sensory profiling, and technological parameters of processing. The results have indicated that larvae reared on the substrate with wheat bran had the highest energy value, at 708.26 kcal. In larvae, the difference in protein content was not significant when changing the rearing conditions, and ranged between 48.54 and 59.18%. The larvae contained a significant content of fibers, with the highest amount detected in samples with brewers' spent grain. The data indicate that glucose and arabinose were distinctive to larvae. Our study has also revealed a statistical difference in ash content between larvae and the substrate, with higher levels of nitrogen, copper, and zinc detected in the larvae compared to the substrate. We have found that the salt was naturally occurring in the substrates, with the brewers' spent grain sample having the highest amount, at 1.83%. However, the control sample yielded the highest ratings, achieving a score of 7.30 for general smell acceptability. These findings emphasize the potential of utilizing various industrial and farm by-products as substrates for mealworms, transforming them into a sustainable and nutrient-rich food source. This contribution adds to the broader discourse on nutritional value and resource efficiency.

Physicochemical, Sensory, and Microbiological Analysis of Fermented Drinks Made from White Kidney Bean Extract and Cow's Milk Blends during Refrigerated Storage.

Due to its low dietary impact and bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols and flavonoids, white kidney bean extract is an attractive raw material for fermented drinks. It can be utilized either on its own or blended with cow's milk, offering a promising solution to help meet dairy product demand during mid-season shortages. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the physicochemical characteristics, sensory properties, and microbiological profile of fermented milk-like drinks made from white kidney bean extract, cow's milk and their blends during 28 days of storage at 4 °C. Three blends of fermented milk-like drinks (FMLDs) were prepared from different ratios of cow's milk (CM) and kidney bean extract (BE): FMLD1 (CM 30%:BE 70%); FMLD2 (CM 50%:BE 50%), FMLD3 (CM 70%:BE 30%), along with plain fermented kidney been extract (FBE; CM 0%:BE 100%), and plain fermented cow's milk (FCM; CM 100%:BE 0%). The mixtures were pasteurized at 92 °C for 25 min and fermented with a probiotic-type starter culture (S. thermophilus, B. bifidum, L. acidophilus) at 43 °C. FBE exhibited the lowest levels of carbohydrates (2.14%), fat (0.11%), and protein (1.45%) compared to fermented cow's milk and blends. The FBE and the fermented blends with a higher ratio of bean extract had lower viscosity and lactic acid contents, greener hue, more pronounced aftertaste and off-flavors, and received lower overall acceptability scores. Although the FCM had higher counts of S. thermophilus and L. acidophilus, the FBE displayed significantly higher counts of B. bifidum. This study demonstrated the potential of using white kidney bean extract and its blends with cow's milk to create unique fermented products with a lower dietary impact, highlighting the importance of further optimizing the formulations to enhance sensory qualities and reduce the beany off-flavors in the products with added kidney bean extract.

The Impact of Freeze-Dried Tenebrio molitor Larvae on the Quality, Safety Parameters, and Sensory Acceptability of Wheat Bread.

The research context involves analyzing the potential benefits derived from integrating insect protein into everyday food items. Utilizing methods consistent with established food science protocols, wheat bread was prepared with variations of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% Tenebrio molitor larvae powder, derived from larvae cultivated on brewery spent grain. A substrate selected for its superior nutritional content and a substrate with agar-agar gels were used. The tests included basic bread tests; sugar, acrylamide, amino, and fatty acid (FA) tests; and sensory acceptability. The results have shown that the acrylamide levels in bread with larvae remained below harmful thresholds, suggesting that using T. molitor can be a safe alternative protein source. The incorporation of powdered T. molitor larvae (p-TMLs) into bread was observed to increase certain sugar levels, such as glucose, particularly at higher larval concentrations. The addition of T. molitor significantly raised the protein and fat levels in bread. The inclusion of larvae enriched the bread with essential amino acids, enhancing the nutritional value of the bread significantly. The FA profile of the bread was altered by the inclusion of p-TMLs, increasing the levels of monounsaturated FAs. Despite the nutritional benefits, higher concentrations of larvae decreased the sensory acceptability of the bread. This suggests that there is a balance to be found between enhancing the nutritional content and maintaining consumer appeal. These findings highlight the potential for using p-TMLs as a sustainable, nutritious ingredient in bread making, although the sensory qualities at higher concentrations might limit consumer acceptance.

Innovative Applications of Tenebrio molitor Larvae in the Production of Sustainable Meat Sausages: Quality and Safety Aspects.

With the world's population continuing to grow, ensuring sustainable protein sources for everyone is becoming increasingly challenging. Despite meat being considered unsustainable, people find it challenging to abstain from consuming it. However, one solution to this dilemma could be the incorporation of mealworms into conventional meat products, i.e., sausages. The incorporation of mealworms into sausage formulations appears to shift the fatty acid profile towards higher levels of monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly omega-3s, potentially enhancing the nutritional value and offering health benefits. Therefore, our study aimed to improve the nutritional value and safety parameters of traditional sausages by enriching them with the flour of mealworm larvae. For this purpose, the larvae were reared on a sustainable substrate with brewery by-products, brewer's yeast, and carrots. They were used frozen and freeze-dried in sausage recipes, replacing pork in different proportions. The analysis of the product's chemical safety parameters (biogenic amines, nitrates and nitrites, volatile fatty acids (FA), and peroxide) and nutritional value (including collagen, cholesterol, amino acids, FA, and hydroxyproline) was carried out in an accredited laboratory. The results of our study have demonstrated that the incorporation of mealworms into sausages, particularly through freeze-drying, increased fat content and enhanced the profile of FA, including omega-3s while reducing protein and cholesterol levels, and altering collagen content, suggesting improved nutritional value and potential health benefits without compromising the safety of the product. Therefore, we are highlighting that the addition of mealworms influences the quality of amino acids positively and maintains biogenic amine levels within safe limits, alongside a negligible impact on nitrates and nitrites and a reduction in peroxide values. These findings indicate an overall improvement in sausage quality and safety without compromising safety.