Eating insects has been a widespread habit in many cultures for many years. Edible insects represent an innovative food source with many advantages that will help the problem of protein and energy shortages created by the rapid growth of the world population. Using insects as food can increase the economy and help protect the environment and the human survival. Their nutritional value is excellent, since according to many studies insects have high protein content, high concentrations of various essential amino acids, a well-balanced fatty acid profile, with a high content of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated fatty acids and many minerals, trace elements, and vitamins. However, there are several risks in the use of edible insects, which need to be researched more extensively. Main goals are to spread knowledge and change the process of obtaining edible insects in better and safer ways. So that the edible insect food industry can develop on a solid basis, through the expansion of the composition of the insects already used and the future legalization of new species of edible insects as well as the establishment of additional legislative frameworks for the breeding, development, processing, storage, and safety of these innovative new foods. K E Y W O R D S edible insects, entomophagy, insect protein, insects as food, nutritional value of insects eFood. 2022;e58. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/efd2
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the key quality characteristics of olive oil with a main focus on the biophenolic content, its beneficial effects on health and the contribution of various quality characteristics to its health claims, as well as its influence from various parameters. Samples from different traditional oil-producing regions of Greece were initially examined for the most important quality parameters, such as the percentage of free acidity, the number of peroxides and the spectrophotometric investigation in the ultraviolet. The samples were then tested for their biophenolic content, expressed in milligrams of tyrosol, and its derivatives per 20 g of olive oil using the analytical technique high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Then, the biophenol contents of the analyzed samples were compared based on the presented intensities in terms of the variety and the area of cultivation, the altitude, the type of cultivation, the extraction system in the mill and the time interval from olive harvest to oiling. Finally, according to the results, the content of biophenols in olive oil and its health claims were found to be influenced by the various parameters with which they were compared.
Polyphenols are present in many plants and herbs, and the scientific community and consumers are aware of their health-promoting effects. Plants of Greek origin were studied for their polyphenol content and their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a diode array detector (HPLC–DAD) were used for the identification and characterization of plant polyphenols. For GC–MS, a silylation procedure was employed. Ferulic acid, quercetin, and catechin were the most abundant polyphenols. The Rancimat test, FRAP (Ferric-reducing Antioxidant power) assay, and DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay were used to study the antioxidant capacity, which was proven for all studied plants. The antimicrobial activity was studied against specific pathogenic microorganisms. Pelargonium purpureum and Sideritis scardica plant extracts inhibited most microorganisms such as L. monocytogenes and E. coli. Extracts of studied plants showed both antioxidant and antimicrobial activities; hence, they can be considered to be used by the food industry.
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