• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1999.04a
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• pp.60.1-60
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• 1999

No Abstract, See Full Text

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.86-97
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• 2024

Alkaline- or salt-assisted extractions have been widely used to extract edible insect proteins, however, there is a need for extraction techniques that balance cost-efficient production as well as preserving the protein properties. Mealworm proteins (Tenebrio molitor larvae) were extracted using three different extraction methods-alkali (AMP), salt (SMP), and water (WMP)-and then physicochemical and techno-functional properties were examined. AMP had high yield, protein, and amino acid contents, whereas WMP had high moisture, ash, and fat contents. SDS-PAGE showed a wide range of molecular weights in WMP whereas mostly low molecular weights were observed in AMP and SMP. AMP had poor protein solubilities compared to SMP and WMP across all pHs. AMP had enhanced water-holding capacity and emulsion stability, whereas WMP had improved oil-holding capacity and foaming properties. WMP formed a gel with and without the transglutaminase. The physicochemical and techno-functional properties demonstrated that water-soluble mealworm protein was superior to alkali-and salt-soluble mealworm proteins. Considering the cost efficiency and minimal impact on the environment as well, a cold press juicer could be utilized for mass production of mealworm protein compared to the conventional methods of protein extraction using alkali and salt.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.249-254
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• 2013

As part of a study on insects as food, the nutritional and harmful components in the mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) were analyzed. In addition, due to a recent introduction of live Chinese mealworms in the Korean market, components between Korean and Chinese mealworms were compared. Analysis of general composition (moisture, crude protein, crude fat, crude ash, crude fiber, and carbohydrates) showed that crude protein (50.32~52.79%) was abundant in both Korean and Chinese mealworm powders, with the protein content in the Chinese mealworm powder higher than that in the Korean mealworm powder by 2.67%. The amino acid compositions were similar, but the fatty acid compositions differed in the Korean and Chinese mealworm powders. The unsaturated fatty acid contents were 76.80~80.55% of the total fatty acid content in the mealworms. The linoleic acid contents in the Korean and Chinese mealworms were $20.8{\pm}1.1%$ and $34.69{\pm}1.9%$; the linolenic acid contents were 0.47% and 1.31%; and the oleic acid contents were $51.40{\pm}0.9%$ and $40.20{\pm}1.5%$, respectively. With respect to harmful components, such as heavy metals and bacteria that cause food poisoning, bacteria such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. were not detected in both Korean and Chinese mealworms, and the mercury content was below the standard values for common foods (Korea, 0.03 mg/kg; China, 0.08 mg/kg).

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.97-102
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• 2024

We introduce a method for preserving yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus) larvae for an extended period and show that a high percentage of larvae can survive in good health under low-temperature storage conditions combined with specific diapause termination conditions. Our study revealed that we can regulate important development stages such as pupation, emergence, and larval duration by adjusting these termination conditions. When storing larvae aged 6-8 weeks for 140 days, the storage temperature can be varied based on our goals, giving us control over yellow mealworm production to meet specific demands. To produce adult beetles, storing larvae at 15 ℃ with wheat bran and ending diapause at 30 ℃ resulted in 90% pupation rate, with 60% becoming adults in 21 days. If our aim is larvae production, storing them at 10-12 ℃ with wheat bran and ending diapause at 25-30 ℃ allows the larvae to reach a suitable weight for processing. This straightforward approach ensures long-term storage of yellow mealworm larvae and provides a practical way to control their development, allowing efficient mass production tailored to market demands.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.979-986
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• 2016

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dried mealworm (Tenebrio molitor larva) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility and blood profiles in weaning pigs. A total of 120 weaning pigs ($28{\pm}3days$ and $8.04{\pm}0.08kg$ of body weight) were allotted to one of five treatments, based on sex and body weight, in 6 replicates with 4 pigs per pen by a randomized complete block design. Supplementation level of dried mealworm was 0%, 1.5%, 3.0%, 4.5%, or 6.0% in experimental diet as treatment. Two phase feeding programs (phase I from 0 day to 14 day, phase II from 14 day to 35 day) were used in this experiment. All animals were allowed to access diet and water ad libitum. During phase I, increasing level of dried mealworm in diet linearly improved the body weight (p<0.01), average daily gain (ADG) (p<0.01) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) (p<0.01). During phase II, ADG also tended to increase linearly when pigs were fed higher level of dried mealworm (p = 0.08). In addition, increasing level of dried mealworm improved the ADG (p<0.01), ADFI (p<0.05) and tended to increase gain to feed ratio (p = 0.07) during the whole experimental period. As dried mealworm level was increased, nitrogen retention and digestibility of dry matter as well as crude protein were linearly increased (p = 0.05). In the results of blood profiles, decrease of blood urea nitrogen (linear, p = 0.05) and increase of insulin-like growth factor (linear, p = 0.03) were observed as dried mealworm was increased in diet during phase II. However, there were no significant differences in immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG concentration by addition of dried mealworm in the growth trial. Consequently, supplementation of dried mealworm up to 6% in weaning pigs' diet improves growth performance and nutrient digestibility without any detrimental effect on immune responses.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.296-308
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• 2019

Although the yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) is a promising alternative protein source, the effects of processing conditions on functional properties are unclear. In this study, a protein extract of yellow mealworm larvae (PEYM) was subjected to different heat temperature ($55^{\circ}C$, $75^{\circ}C$, and $95^{\circ}C$) with different time (20, 40, and 60 min) to evaluate the functional properties and protein oxidation. Different heat temperature treatment significantly affected the exposure of surface hydrophobicity of the proteins and protein molecule aggregation, which reached maximum levels at $95^{\circ}C$ for 60 min. Protein oxidation was inversely proportional to the temperature. Both the highest carbonyl value (1.49 nmol/mg protein) and lowest thiol value (22.94 nmol/mg protein) were observed at $95^{\circ}C$ for 60 min. The heating time-temperature interaction affected several functional properties, including solubility, emulsifying potential, and gel strength (GS). Solubility decreased near the isoelectric point (pH 5 to 6). As the temperature and heating time increased, emulsifying properties decreased and GS increased. The oil absorption capacity and foaming properties decreased and the water absorption capacity increased. These results confirmed that PEYM is a suitable source of proteins for processing and applications in the food industry.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Sciences Society Conference
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• 2019.10a
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• pp.202-202
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• 2019

Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) was evaluated to investigate the effect of partial or total replacement of fish meal in diets for white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. Experimental groups of shrimp with average initial body weight (2.43 ± 0.54 g) were fed each with 4 isonitrogeneous (38% crude protein) diets formulated to include 0, 25, 50 and 100% (diets 1 to 4, respectively) of fish meal substituted with mealworm. After eight weeks of feeding trials, shrimp fed with diet 3 and 4 revealed the highest values for live weight gain(8.01 ± 2.51 and 7.93 ± 1.12), specific growth rates (2.70 ± 1.12 and 2.59 ± 0.51) as well as better feed conversion ratio (2.69 ± 0.09 and 2.72 ± 0.19) compared to the control group with statistically significant manner (p<0.05). Survival range was 98% in all the treatments. An increase in weight gain and other growth associated parameters was observed with higher replacement. These results clearly indicate that 50% and 100% of fish meal protein in shrimp diet can be replaced by mealworm not only without any adverse effect but also the effect of promoting growth performance.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.54-59
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• 2019

Yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus) are very promising insects for the food and feed industry. Because mealworms are in the spotlight as an alternative protein source in the future, it is necessary to develop efficient rearing techniques for mass production. To evaluate the effects of brewer's yeast (BY) on the growth of mealworms, Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, the mealworms were fed with wheat bran (WB) diets containing different levels of BY (0, 10, 30, 50, and 70%). Larval survival, larval weight, development time, pupal weight and eclosion rate were monitored for 12 weeks. The results showed that mealworms fed on the diets containing 30% and 50% of BY have significantly higher weight gain, specific growth rate and daily weight gain, and lower larval duration than fed the control diet (100% WB) and other BY diets (10% and 70% BY). Larval survival on the diets containing 30% and 50% of BY was higher than on control diet. Pupal weight and eclosion rate were not significantly different among all diets. In conclusion, we suggest feeding the diet containing 30% of brewer's yeast with wheat bran in order to increase the production of mealworms.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Entomolohy Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.100-100
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• 2001

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Entomolohy Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.101-101
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• 2001