Functional foods, introduced in the early 1980s, offer health benefits beyond basic nutrition and are increasingly demanded due to growing consumer awareness of diet-health relationships. This review explores insect-based functional foods, highlighting their nutritional benefits, health implications, and applications. Edible insects, such as crickets, mealworms, and locusts, are rich in protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, making them a promising solution for food security and sustainability. Insect-based foods contribute to weight management, cardiovascular health, anti-inflammatory properties, gut health, and potential anti-cancer benefits. Despite most insects being low in calcium and potassium, they are high in phosphorus and, to a lesser extent, magnesium. Active components like royal jelly, bee pollen, and extracts from Tenebrio molitor and Periplaneta americana L. have shown potential in osteoporosis prevention by improving bone density and reducing bone resorption. Silk sericin-based functional foods also exhibit preventive and therapeutic effects against bone loss. However, challenges such as regulatory barriers, food safety concerns, consumer acceptance, potential allergenicity, and the need for standardization and quality control must be addressed. This review underscores the potential of insect-based functional foods in enhancing health and well-being, particularly for osteoporosis prevention, and highlights the need for further research and regulatory harmonization to facilitate their adoption.

The efficiency of protein extraction from Hongjam, a steamed mature silkworm, was quantitatively evaluated using various chemical buffers and physical methods. This study considers the difficulty of protein extraction yield due to the high content of hydrophobic amino acids in Hongjam compared to 5^th instar-3^rd day silkworm larvae. Results indicated that urea buffer enhanced protein yield more effectively than RIPA buffer. Additionally, the application of physical methods such as microwave treatment to samples treated with RIPA buffer increased yields by up to 22%, achieving concentrations as high as 3.9 mg/mL. Circular dichroism (CD) analysis showed that proteins extracted with urea buffer retained their structural integrity, exhibiting deeper and more prominent peaks associated with random coil structure. In addition, physical methods such as vortexing, sonication, microwave and homogenization increased the extraction yield of larger molecules without altering protein structures, suggesting their potential scalability for industrial applications. These results demonstrate the critical role of selecting appropriate extraction methods to optimize the yield and functionality of proteins from Hongjam, with implications for its use in biotechnological applications and nutraceuticals.

Among the 17 species of Sympetrum found on the Korean peninsula Sympetrum vulgatum Linnaeus, 1758 had not been recorded since its first record in 1932 by Doi, suggesting the potential for misidentification. We observed a total of four specimens on September 21, 25, 30, and November 1 2022 in Goseong, Gangwon-do and collected each one male and female. We described the morphological and ecological characteristics of this species, conducted molecular analysis using mitochondrial COI, and addressed the controversial past record regarding its presence on the Korean Peninsula.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Korean Red Data Book both categorize the dragon swallowtail Sericinus montela Grey, 1852 (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) as a vulnerable insect. In South Korea, the main reason for this categorization is habitat destruction and deterioration, along with limited distribution mainly to the eastern region of South Korea, particularly to Gangwon-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do. Considering much of the information is older than ten years the renewed survey to estimate distributional stability is required, particularly under global warming. In addition, the population genetic diversity and isolation of S. montela, which is important information when seeking to evaluate its vulnerability, is not yet known. In this study, we visited 38 habitable sites, consisted of 15 sites with the previous record for the sightings of the species and 23 sites without such record. Moreover, nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region was sequenced for 56 individuals collected from seven sites. We observed S. montela at 20 sites, consisted of 11 recorded and 9 new sites in seven provinces, excluding Jeollanam-do and Jeju-do. Finding of the species in 9 new sites and location of the 4 in western region, which has a rare previous record are promising. However, failure to observe in 4 recorded sites and an extremely low observed number in new sites (5.3 vs. 17.6 individuals per site on average) is not optimistic. Population genetic data partially corroborate with the field observation data, showing that the populations in western region have lower genetic diversity and intermittent genetic isolation compared to those in eastern region. Taken these together, we suggest that S. montela should be remained as a vulnerable insect. However, more extensive field monitoring and co-dominant molecular data are required to verify this conclusion.

For stable silkworm breeding and high-quality sericulture product production, the detection of Pebrine disease in silkworm eggs is critical. Current diagnostic methods can be timeconsuming and complex. This study aimed to develop a simplified and rapid diagnostic method using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technology to detect pebrine infection in silkworm mother moths. Eight primer candidates targeting the ribosomal gene region of microsporidia were designed and evaluated for specificity and detection sensitivity. A simplified nucleic acid extraction method was established, and isothermal amplification was performed using the selected primers. Of these, primers ID30 and ID45 showed no polymerization, while ID5, ID18, and ID76 exhibited nonspecific reactions, making them unsuitable. Primers ID1, ID6, ID45, and ID82 successfully amplified DNA only in the presence of pebrine, with ID82 demonstrating the best reproducibility and sensitivity, detecting as low as 2.5 pg/ul of DNA through electrophoresis and 5 pg/ul via a colorimetric change with phenol red. The entire process, from nucleic acid extraction to detection, was completed within 60 min. The use of the ID82 primer set in LAMP technology offers a promising and efficient approach for the rapid diagnosis of pebrine disease, potentially enhancing quality control in sericulture.

This study aimed to validate the nutritional superiority and safety of fermented coffee byproducts (CB) and fermented oyster mushroom cultivation by-products (OMCB) as alternative food sources for Protaetia brevitarsis larvae. Thus, we conducted a comparative analysis of the nutrient composition of the food sources and developmental characteristics of the larvae. P. brevitarsis larvae have traditionally utilized various by-products as food sources and are able to efficiently utilize these. The analysis of the nutrient composition of the food sources indicated that, in comparison to control group fermented oak sawdust (FOS), the content of crude protein was 2.2 folds higher in larvae fed with OMCB and 3.2 folds higher in larvae fed with fermented 50% CB + 50% OMCB (CB + OMCB). Moreover, the cellulose content, utilized as a nutritional source for the larvae, was 1.3 folds higher in the CB + OMCB group than in the control group. Significantly, the weight of larvae fed with OMCB and CB + OMCB increased 1.7-4.2 folds compared to those fed with FOS. Additionally, the survival rate of larvae before the formation of pupal cells was over 90% in all groups. Therefore, it was concluded that CB and OMCB contain various nutrients without harmful composition and have a larval growth-promoting effect. Consequently, they are considered appropriate dietary materials for P. brevitarsis larvae. This study enhances our understanding of by-product usages by P. brevitarsis larvae and confirms their potential as sustainable food resources.

This study aimed to evaluate and compare the inhibitory effects of extracts from Bombyx batryticatus (BBE) and Bombyx mori (BME) on α-glucosidase, DPP-4, and LDL oxidation activities, focusing on their potential applications in managing postprandial hyperglycemia and metabolic syndrome. The results demonstrated that both BBE and BME effectively inhibited α-glucosidase and LDL oxidation, with BBE exhibiting higher inhibitory activity than BME. HPLC analysis identified linolenic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid ethyl ester, pheophorbide a, and pyropheophorbide a as key compounds contributing to these effects. Notably, the identified unsaturated fatty acids and pheophorbides showed strong α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, surpassing that of acarbose, a standard diabetic drug. These results suggest that, in addition to the previously reported 1-DNJ and fibroin proteins, unsaturated fatty acids and chlorophyll-derived pheophorbides may play significant roles in glycemic control. Compounds, particularly those from BBE, present promising opportunities for the development of natural therapeutic agents for diabetes management. The study concludes that BBE and BME have strong potential as functional ingredients in future diabetes treatment strategies, possibly offering enhanced efficacy over conventional inhibitors.