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The isolation and characterisation of protein from nine edible insect species

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Abstract

The increasing global population and consumer demand for protein pose a serious challenge to the provision of protein-rich diets. Insect farming has been suggested to have a lower environmental impact than conventional animal husbandry which makes insect consumption a more sustainable solution to meet the growing world population’s protein requirements. However, there is a reluctancy in the adoption of insect protein especially in the Western diets as whole insect consumption is often met with disgust and resentment. To mitigate against the feeling of disgust and resentment, there have been suggestion to include insects as an ingredient in product development. However, for this to be successfully carried out, the techno-functional properties of insect protein need to be characterised. Therefore, the aim of this study was to isolate and characterise proteins from nine edible insect species. Protein was isolated from nine edible insect species and characterised in terms of the protein content and molecular weight distribution. As crickets are the most common insect food source, the functional characterisation (foaming and emulsification) of protein extracted from house cricket (HC) supernatant protein (SP) was investigated in comparison to commercial whey protein (WP) and pea protein isolate (PPI). The protein content of the buffalo worms and yellow meal worms was significantly (P = 0.000) higher than other insect species such as wild black ants, queen leaf cutter ants, and flying termites. The molecular weight distribution of the nine edible insect species varied from ~ 5 to 250 kDa. HC SP foaming capacity was fourfold and threefold higher than that of WP and PPI respectively. The emulsification potential of HC SP was 1.5 × higher than PPI. The HC protein extract shows promising potential for use in the food industry and represents a potential vehicle for the introduction of insect protein into the diet of societies that are not accustomed to eating insects.

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Data availability and materials

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to than Drs. Patrick King and Stuart Henderson-Andrews for the help with the SDS-PAGE analysis. Dr. Hans (C. J.) Kok is acknowledged for proof reading of the manuscript and for constructive discussions during the writing process.

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry, CV1 5FB, UK

    L. M. Jepson, R. Daniel, I. Nyambayo & C. D. Munialo

  2. Food, Land and Agribusiness Management, Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire, TF10 8NB, UK

    C. D. Munialo

  3. Faculty of Social and Life Sciences, Wrexham University, Mold Rd, WrexhamWales, LL11 2AW, UK

    I. Nyambayo

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  1. L. M. Jepson
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  2. R. Daniel
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  3. I. Nyambayo
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  4. C. D. Munialo
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Contributions

C.D Munialo and I. Nyambayo designed the study, interpreted the results, drafted, and revised the manuscript. L. M. Jepson and R. Daniel collected the data and contributed to the interpretation of the results.

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Correspondence to C. D. Munialo.

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Jepson, L.M., Daniel, R., Nyambayo, I. et al. The isolation and characterisation of protein from nine edible insect species. J Food Sci Technol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-024-05975-5

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