• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.196-201
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• 2022

Insects have been proposed as new protein sources for human nutrition, and protein availability is affected by insect characteristics. Fermentation can be used to obtain a variety of insect-based ingredients and products with unique properties, but its effect on protein availability is unknown. Fermented cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus) powder consists mainly of protein, and its oral administration has been reported to improve hair growth in androgenetic alopecia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hair-promoting activity of fermented cricket powder in an animal model using male C57BL/6 mice (25-30 g). The abdominal hair of the mouse (2x2.5 cm) was gently removed, and the groups fed as follows: Intact controls (no cricket powder); cricket powder only; and fermented cricket powder only. Food was applied daily for 11 weeks. Observational and physical examinations were performed and the results of the different groups compared. The application of fermented cricket powder significantly (p<0.01) promoted hair growth compared to the intact controls. The C57BL/6 results confirmed increased growth after seven weeks when the proportion of anagen follicles had increased by about 125% and 120% in the control and cricket powder groups, respectively. In conclusion, fermented cricket powder can be seen as a promising alternative alopecia treatment because it promotes hair growth, and, given the powder's composition, trace elements such as amino acids may have contributed to these effects.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.159-173
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• 2016

Crickets have been attracting considerable interest in the field of nutrition and toxicology due to the global exhaustion of food resulting from a growing population. The cricket is normally eaten in several countries after roasting, similar to the grasshopper; however, safety evaluation data on cricket powder is limited. Here, we performed general toxicity studies of cricket powder including a single, 2-week repeated dose range evaluation test, a 13-week repeated oral dose toxicity test in Sprague-Dawley rats, a single oral dose toxicity test in Beagle dogs, and a skin sensitization test in guinea pigs following the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development test guidelines 406 and 408 in addition to Good Laboratory Practice. To investigate the NOAEL and target organs of cricket powder, Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated to 4 groups: vehicle control, 1,250 mg/kg, 2,500 mg/kg, 5,000 mg/kg dose test groups and cricket powder was administered over 13 weeks after single dose and dose range finding studies in rats based on the results of the single oral administration toxicity study in rats and Beagle dogs. The results of the study showed that the NOAEL of cricket powder was over 5,000 mg/kg for both sexes of rats without adverse effects in a 13-week repeated oral toxicity study and there was no skin hypersensitivity reaction. Therefore, our results reveal that crickets can be widely used as a new substitute food or nutrient resource.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.211-217
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• 2016

This study was carried out to determine the shelf-life of cricket powder and investigate the changes in its quality during storage. To determine the shelf-life, cricket powder was stored at temperatures of 25, 35, and $40^{\circ}C$ for 6 months. The changes in quality parameters of the cricket powder, such as moisture content, color, acid value, volatile base nitrogen (VBN), fatty acid, growth of microorganisms, and sensory appeal were investigated. The moisture content of the cricket powder increased during storage but did not show any significant difference at 6 months of storage. L value was increased at $25^{\circ}C$ storage but decreased at 35 and $40^{\circ}C$. However, there were no significant different in a and b values. The acid value decreased more rapidly at higher temperatures, while the VBN content was not changed. The major composition of fatty acids of cricket powder were palmitic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid. Their content was not changed at various the storage temperatures. No aerobic and coliform bacteria grew in the powder during the whole storage period. Cricket powder stored at $25^{\circ}C$ and $35^{\circ}C$ showed similar scores in sensory evaluation, but it storaged at $40^{\circ}C$ showed the significant difference (p<0.05). Moisture content, acid value, oleic acid, and flavor were selected as the criteria for shelf-life establishment of cricket powder. Based on these parameters, especially the moisture content, the shelf life of cricket powder was likely to be 18 months when stored at $25^{\circ}C$.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.157-160
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• 2007

Nymph of the emma field cricket, Teleogryllus emma, were reared on several types of artificial diets. The development period of nymphs were 55.4 days when only a single food, wheat bran, was provided, and it did not show a significant difference compared to the rearing results of the Danong diet and mixed diet. The supplying period of fish meal as the animal feed, the high emergence rates were obtained at 3rd instar with 90% and 4th instar with 100%. For the added amount test, when more than 40% of the diet was added, it confirmed that the insect weight increased. The characteristics of development according to each added amount of the vegetable food (dry bean-curd residue and corn powder) were investigated to minimize the dangers of the degeneration of diet when rearing with a single feed during the $1st{\sim}3rd$ instar period. First, as the added amount of bean-curd residue increased, nymphal development period became longer and the emergence rate became low. With corn powder as the single diet, all died before becoming adult. However, when corn powder was added up to 30%, no difference existed in the breeding results.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.59-62
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• 2016

Many insects have gained increasing attention as an alternative protein for humans. Among those, the two-spotted cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae), was recently approved as a general food ingredient by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. For industrial utilization of G. bimaculatus, mass rearing techniques and production system should be standardized first. In this study, we investigated the effects of five different feeds on the growth and development of G. bimaculatus. Feed is the one of the key factors that has considerable effects on rearing insects. With five different kinds of feed on $1^{st}$, $3^{rd}$, and $5^{th}$ instar nymphs, the change of survival rate, body weight were monitored up to eight wk after hatching. We concluded that 50% of soybean flour, 20% of corn powder, 10% of rice bran, 9% of milk serum, 10% of rice flour, 0.5% of microorganisms, and 0.5% of multivitamins and minerals (diet C) was the best mix for promoting growth and development of $3^{rd}$ instar nymphs compared to the control diet.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.80-98
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• 2024

Edible insects, such as the two-spotted cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus, GB), have high nutritional value but are not widely consumed because of their appearance and smell. Consequently, the development of foods containing these insects in less recognizable forms, e.g., flour-like powders, has drawn considerable attention. Herein, we investigated the quality characteristics of muffins prepared from wheat flower supplemented with fresh ginseng (5%) and GB (0, 10, 20, and 40%) powders. GB loading was negatively correlated with muffin volume, height, moisture content, and textural properties (hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, and chewiness) and positively correlated with crude protein content and antioxidant properties. Significant (p<0.05) color differences were observed between samples with different GB loadings. The contents of hexanal and nonanal, which are the major volatiles responsible for off-flavor, increased with increasing GB loading, and the number of volatiles maximized at 40% GB. Sensory preference decreased in the order of 0% GB>10% GB≈ 20% GB>40% GB. Based on these results, a GB loading of 20% offered the best trade-off between attractiveness and nutritional value. Thus, this study promotes the widespread use of GB in the food industry and the development of various edible-insect-based food products.