For centuries, insects have been used as food due to their availability and easiness in raising that is much less burdensome for environment than animal husbandry breeding. Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) is a store-pest of which larvae are consumed by people. The aim of the work was to determine the nutritional value of larvae of mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.). The material was a three-month-old mealworm larva 25 -30 mm in length. Larvae were boiled for 3 min and next dried in 60˚C. Contents of water, ash, minerals, protein, fat and fat acids profile have been determined. Fresh larvae contained 56% of water, 18% of total protein, 22% of total fat and 1.55% of ash. High contents of minerals were found in the larvae: magnesium (87.5 mg/100g), zinc (4.2 mg/100g), iron (3.8 mg/100g), copper (0.78 mg/100g) and manganese (0.44 mg/100g). The proportion of n-6/n-3 fatty acids was very advantageous and amounted to 6.76. Larvae powder contained twice higher content of protein, fat, ash and minerals. Larva of mealworm is a valuable source of nutrients in amounts more profitable for human organism than traditional meat food. Powdered larva is a high-grade product to be applied as a supplement to traditional meals.

The use of probiotic cultures in the production of Dutch-type cheeses did not lead to significant changes in their chemical composition but it lowered their acidity. The availability of calcium and magnesium analyzed by in vitro enzymatic hydrolysis was 19 and 35%, respectively; the availability of phosphorus was significantly higher, at >90%. The use of probiotic cultures significantly increased the availability of calcium (~2.5%), phosphorus (~6%), and magnesium (~18%). The in vitro method supports accurate determination of the effect of the Lactobacillus spp. cultures on the availability of mineral compounds ingested with Dutch-type cheese.

The objective of this study was to determine the viability of the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 in Swiss-type and Dutch-type cheese and cheese-like products (milk fat is substituted by stearin fraction of palm fat) during manufacture, ripening, and storage. The use of the probiotic L. rhamnosus HN001 in Dutch-type cheese and cheese-like products significantly (P = 0.1) changed their chemical composition (protein and fat content) and an insignificant increase (approximately 1.6% in cheese-like products and approximately 0.3% in cheese) in yield. L. rhamnosus HN001 did not affect the rate of changes in the pH of ripened cheese and cheese-like products. A minor increase in probiotic counts was observed in initial stages of production and were partially removed with whey. Ripened cheese and cheese-like products were characterized by high survival rates of probiotic bacteria which exceeded 8 log CFU/g after ripening. An insignificant reduction in the number of viable probiotic cells was noted during storage of Swiss-type and Dutch-type cheese, whereas a significant increase in probiotic cell counts was observed in cheese-like products during storage.

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