Search

Increasing demand for sustainable protein sources has spurred interest in the exploration of alternative protein sources with a reduced environmental impact. This study investigates the use of spent coffee grounds (SCG), a widely available by-product, as a feed additive for Tenebrio molitor larvae, aiming to contribute to the circular economy and enhance the nutritional quality of the insects. The larvae were fed with a mixture of bran (the conventional feed) and SCGs (10 and 25% w/w). Larval viability, growth, and nutritional composition, including protein, fat, carbohydrates, ash, carotenoids, vitamins A and C, and polyphenols, were evaluated. Increasing the proportion of SCGs in the larvae's feed led to an enhanced nutritional value of the larvae. In particular, crude protein increased by 45.26%, vitamin C showed an increase of 81.28%, and vitamin A showed an increase of 822.79%, while polyphenol content increased by 29.01%. In addition, the oil extracted from these larvae showed enhanced nutritional value and greater resistance to oxidation. The results highlight the promising use of SCGs as a feed additive for T. molitor larvae, offering a sustainable approach to enhance their nutritional value. Delving deeper into the results, the addition of 10% SCGs resulted in a 45.26% increase in crude protein compared to the SCG0 sample. Concurrently, increasing SCGs in the dietary substrate led to an increase in vitamin content; in sample SCG25, vitamin C content increased by 81.28% while vitamin A content increased by 822.79% compared to the control sample. Moreover, there was a large increase in polyphenol content with the SCG25 sample showing the highest value, which was a 29.01% increase over the control sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean meal is the main source of protein in laying hens’ diet that is generally imported. This study aims to explore the yellow mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor) “TM”, and curcuma effects on laying hens’ performances, and physical and nutritional eggs quality. One hundred laying hens were divided randomly into 4 groups. The first group (Control) received a standard commercial diet (SCD), while test groups (TM, TP, and TM-TP) received SCD with respectively 5% TM, 0.50 % curcuma, and 5% TM and 0.50% curcuma. According to the results, Control and TM reduced significantly hen’s bodyweight in the experiment end. However, the curcuma incorporation and TM (TP and TM-TP) kept the stability of bodyweight during the whole period. No effect of diet was observed on feed intake and egg laying rate. Diet had a significant effect on eggs physical parameters (weight, freshness, thickness and rupture force). The mixture of TM and curcuma permitted eggs with good physical parameters. For nutritional quality of eggs, all groups had the same content of ALA and DHA. However, eggs of group receiving a mixture of TM and curcuma had the lowest cholesterol content. Thus, TM and curcuma could reduce soybean importation dependence with improving eggs quality.

Soybean meal is the main source of protein in laying hens' diet that is generally imported. This study aims to explore the yellow mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor) "TM", and curcuma effects on laying hens' performances, and physical and nutritional eggs quality. One hundred laying hens were divided randomly into 4 groups. The first group (Control) received a standard commercial diet (SCD), while test groups (TM, TP, and TM-TP) received SCD with respectively 5% TM, 0.50 % curcuma, and 5% TM and 0.50% curcuma. According to the results, Control and TM reduced significantly hen's bodyweight in the experiment end. However, the curcuma incorporation and TM (TP and TM-TP) kept the stability of bodyweight during the whole period. No effect of diet was observed on feed intake and egg laying rate. Diet had a significant effect on eggs physical parameters (weight, freshness, thickness and rupture force). The mixture of TM and curcuma permitted eggs with good physical parameters. For nutritional quality of eggs, all groups had the same content of ALA and DHA. However, eggs of group receiving a mixture of TM and curcuma had the lowest cholesterol content. Thus, TM and curcuma could reduce soybean importation dependence with improving eggs quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the effect of replacing different amounts (5%, 10%, and 15%) of lean meat with yellow mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor L.) flour (YMLF) obtained via two different pre-drying methods on the quality profiles of hybrid frankfurters. With the increasing replacement ratio, the cooking loss of the freeze-dried YMLF (FD-YMLF) groups gradually increased, whereas those of the microwave drying YMLF (MD-YMLF) groups were always better than those of the control group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the MD-YMLF group showed superior textural properties than FD-YMLF group under the same replacement ratio (P < 0.05), especially for MD-YMLF-10% group. Additionly, with the increasing replacement ratio, the hybrid frankfurters had lower sensorial scores than standard frankfurters (P < 0.05), whereas the MD-YMLF group was always better than the FD-YMLF group for the same replacement ratio (P < 0.05). Our results indicated that MD-YMLF could be used as a potential lean meat replacement to process emulsified meat products. • Defatted yellow mealworm larvae flour can replace lean meat in frankfurters. • Higher replacing ratio had negative effect on the quality of hybrid frankfurters. • 10% in sec t flour pre-dried via microwave had the optimal replacement effect. • Hybrid frankfurters had lower sensorial scores than standard frankfurters. • The replacement effect depends on the protein quality of insect flours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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°C, 75°C, and 95°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°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°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., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest The authors declare no potential conflict of interest.