Drying Techniques and Nutritional Composition of Drone Pupae (Apis mellifera L.) as Edible Food

There is an urgent need for novel protein sources as an alternative to meat production. Insects, such as honeybees, hold potential as a safe, nutritious and reliable protein source for the future. In the present study, we established optimal powder preprocessing conditions of drone pupae (Apis mellifera L.) for use as a novel food. The content of moisture, crude protein, crude fat, crude ash, carbohydrate and crude fiber in drone pupae(Apis mellifera L.) were analyzed. The crude protein content ranged from 48.5 to 51.8% was found in both freeze-dried and hot-air powdered drone pupae. However, the protein content in the freeze-dried powder was higher than that in the hot-air powder by 3.3%. According to the Korean Food Standard Codex test method, coliforms, Salmonella spp. Staphylcoccus aureus, and Enterohamorrhagice Escherichia coli were not detected in both freeze-dried and hot-air powder. Therefore, we suggest that the high protein content of the powdered drone pupae prepared in this study can serve as a novel food.