• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.139-143
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• 2020

A survey was conducted among pet owners visiting pet hospitals, using a pet animal app, or being involved in pet breeding, who had the awareness of and intention to purchase animal feed containing edible insects, as well as functional pet food. Results showed that 89.5% of survey participants were pet owners such as those of dogs, cats etc., of whom 55.6% knew about this type of pet food. Nearly half (48.5%) of respondents had an intention to purchase edible insect-based pet food, while the rest of them (51.5%) did not. The two main reasons for deciding to buy it were the excellent nutritional value of insects, and low allergenicity. The most significant reason for refusing purchase was a strong aversion to insects as food.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.334-338
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• 2017

In this study, the nutritional components of Tenebrio molitor, Protaetia brevitarsis, and Allomyrina dichotoma larvae, which have been registered as novel foods, were analyzed and compared to expand the diversity of selection criteria for edible insects. The contents of crude components, amino acids, fatty acids, and minerals were analyzed. According to the results of comparative analysis of edible insects, crude proteins were abundant in all three kinds of insects. The content of crude fat was the highest in T. molitor, and the content of carbohydrate was the highest in A. dichotoma. When comparing the composition of amino acids, total amino acid content and essential amino acids were the highest in T. molitor larvae. In T. molitor and P. brevitarsis larvae, the compositions of fatty acids were similar, with higher amounts of unsaturated fatty acids than in A. dichotoma. In terms of mineral content, A. dichotoma contained the highest amounts of calcium and iron, whereas P. brevitarsis contained the highest amounts of phosphorus and potassium. With these results, it is expected that edible insects could be selected according to nutritional demand. In addition, multiple combinations of edible insects will offer a richer intake of nutrients.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.63 no.2
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• pp.417-425
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• 2021

The use of edible insects to replace meat protein is important to ensure future global food security. However, processed foods using edible insects require development to enhance consumer perception. Here, we examined the physicochemical characteristics and rheological properties of emulsions prepared from different edible insect larvae. Three edible insect species (Tenebrio molitor, Allomyrina dichotoma and Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis) were used to prepare larval emulsions that were formulated with 65% of insect larvae, 20% of pork back fat, and 15% ice. The A. dichotoma emulsion had the highest pH and lightness, redness, and yellowness values, while the T. molitor emulsion had the lowest pH and lightness, redness, and yellowness values. The T. molitor emulsion had the highest hardness, gumminess, chewiness, and apparent viscosity values but the lowest springiness and cohesiveness values. According to the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis, T. molitor had the thickest bands, followed by P. brevitarsis seulensis. The differential scanning calorimetry distributions for the T. molitor and A. dichotoma emulsions showed one peak, while that of the P. brevitarsis seulensis emulsion had two peaks. The collective results suggest that T. molitor was the most suitable candidate (of the three tested species) for use as a meat replacement in terms of its physicochemical and rheological properties. It is important that such properties of insect-based emulsions are maintained using various technologies.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.225-231
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• 2021

In the search for another appealing source of future food to cover the increasing need for nutrients of a growing global population, this study reviewed the potential of insects as human food. This study assessed some common edible insects, but concentrated on mealworms. Insects, especially mealworms, have a similar or higher nutritional value than many conventional food sources. The present study aimed to promote health through the development of blueberry cake by Mealworm Powder (Tenebrio molitor Lavare). The results of Sensory evaluation comparison of Blueberry cake to different levels of mealworm powder. The sensory evaluation showed that sample 3 had the highest color, taste, texture, and overall texture except flavour. Therefore, mealworm blueberry cake made with 60g of mealworm powder showed the best results. The results of analyzing the general components of the Mealworm blueberry cake showed more than two times higher Crude protein and less than half Crude fat compared to control blueberry cake. It is believed that the addition of mealworm powder means that the protein in the cake, a high carbohydrate food, has been strengthened. This is the development of bakery products with both nutritional excellence and symbolism, and it is believed that wheat worm powder is a good food material as a favorite food, not a hateful food, which will improve consumer awareness of edible insects.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.428-440
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• 2023

Global meat consumption is increasing worldwide, however, supply remains lacking. Several alternative protein sources, such as cultured meat, plant-based protein production, and edible insects, have been proposed to overcome this shortage. Interestingly, edible insects are characterized by superior digestive and absorptive qualities that make them the ideal replacement for traditional protein production. This study aims to further the processing ability of insect protein by investigating the effects of various pre-treatment methods, such as blanching (HB), roasting (HR), and superheated steam (HS), on the nutritional properties and physicochemical characteristics of proteins extracted from Hermetia illucens larvae. The drying rate, pH value, color analysis, amino and fatty acid profile, as well as bulk density, shear force, and rehydration ratios of the above pre-treatment methods, were explored. HS was found to have the highest drying rate and pH value analysis showed that HB and HS samples have significantly higher values compared to the other modalities. Raw edible insects had the highest value in the sum of essential amino acid (EAA) and EAA index when compared to EAAs. HB and HS showed significantly lower bulk density results, and HS showed the highest shear force and the highest value in rehydration ratio, regardless of immersion time. Therefore, taking the above results together, it was found that blanching and superheated steam blanching pre-treatment were the most effective methods to improve the processing properties of H. illucens after hot-air drying.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.955-961
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• 2017

Edible insects are attracting growing interest as a sustainable source of protein for addition to processed meat and dairy products. The current study investigated the optimal method for protein extraction from mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor), cricket adults (Gryllus bimaculatus), and silkworm pupae (Bombyx mori), for use in further applications. After defatting with n-hexane for up to 48 h, sonication was applied for 1-20 min and the protein yield was measured. All samples showed a total residual fat percentage below 1.36%, and a 35% to 94% improvement in protein yield (%). In conclusion, defatting with n-hexane combined with sonication improves the protein yield from insect samples.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.558-566
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• 2018

This study examined the consumers' perception of edible insect foods and carried out importance-satisfaction research on the choice attributes of edible insect foods. Through this, the potential of food materials as future food resources was evaluated and foundational data was provided to devise marketing strategies required to develop products made from edible insect foods. According to the results, females had more information on edible insect foods than males (p<0.05), and males gained higher points in trying new foods (p<0.001), overall satisfaction (p<0.001), and purchase intention (p<0.01) than females. Both importance (p<0.05) and satisfaction (p<0.001) about the mean of the choice attributes of edible insects were higher in males than females. The sustenance area showed high importance and high satisfaction, including taste, smell, freshness, sanitation, safety, and shelf-life. Accordingly, to understand edible insect foods properly, it is important to deliver information constantly and publicize them aggressively. In addition, it is necessary to develop various kinds of food made from edible insect foods and functional foods utilizing their nutritive value.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.643-654
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• 2019

The amino acid composition, protein quality, and protein functionality of protein solution extracted from three edible insect species were investigated. We used 0.02% ascorbic acid and 0.58 M saline solution to extract water-soluble and salt-soluble proteins from the three insect species. Extracted protein solutions of Tenebrio molitor (TM), Allomyrina dichotoma (AD), and Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis (PB) were divided into six groups, according to species and solubility: WTM, WAD, WPB (water-soluble), and STM, SAD, and SPB (salt-soluble). Defatted TM had the highest protein content, but its protein solubility was the lowest, for both water and saline solutions. Amino acid composition differed by edible insect species and buffer type; SPB had the highest protein quality, followed by WPB. PB had a higher pH than the other species. Color values also differed among species. SPB had abundant high molecular weight proteins, compared with other treatments; and also had the highest foaming capacity, foam stability, and emulsifying capacity. In conclusion, PB is a good source of functional protein compared with the other studied species. Additionally, protein extraction using saline solution is promising as a useful method for improving edible insect protein functionality.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.493-502
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• 2021

We examined American consumers' perceptions and attitudes toward edible insect-based pet food. In this study, 16 Americans in Korea who owned dogs were categorized into two groups, and focus-group discussions were conducted under three conditions. First, we observed the free association perception of edible insect-based pet food, and attitudes were analyzed after providing a newspaper article related to it. Finally, consumer attitude was examined in the context of purchasing. The study found that the participants had high awareness of the eco-friendliness of edible insects and showed a positive attitude toward news articles related to it. However, when it came to purchasing, they considered nutritional and health functional values compared to environmental values. Meanwhile, the rejection of insects was nevertheless the most important negative factor in pet food, as in general food. The results are significant in confirming the possibility of using insect-based pet food by examining the perceptions and attitudes toward the environmental, nutritional, and health functional values of edible insects under three conditions for American consumers.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.1533-1543
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• 2020

Plant-based meat analogues, edible insects, and cultured meat are promising major meat alternatives that can be used as protein sources in the future. It is also believed that the importance of meat alternatives will continue to increase because of concerns on limited sustainability of the traditional meat production system. The meat alternatives are expected to have different roles based on their different benefits and limitations. Plant-based meat analogues and edible insects can replace traditional meat as a good protein source from the perspective of nutritional value. Furthermore, plant-based meat can be made available to a wide range of consumers (e.g., as vegetarian or halal food products). However, despite ongoing technical developments, their palatability, including appearance, flavor, and texture, is still different from the consumers' standard established from livestock-based traditional meat. Meanwhile, cultured meat is the only method to produce actual animal muscle-based meat; therefore, the final product is more meat-like compared to other meat analogues. However, technical difficulties, especially in mass production and cost, remain before it can be commercialized. Nevertheless, these meat alternatives can be a part of our future protein sources while maintaining a complementary relationship with traditional meat.