To evaluate Protaetia brevitarsis as a food material, we investigated its composition of nutritional and harmful components. Analysis of nutritional composition (moisture, crude protein, crude fat, crude ash, crude fiber, and carbohydrates) showed that the content of crude protein, fat, fiber, and ash were 57.86±0.01%, 16.57±1.81%, 5.31±0.10%, and 8.36±0.10% in Protaetia brevitarsis powder, respectively. Amino acids were composed of 17.68% essential and 33.97% non-essential in Protaetia brevitarsis powder. Protaetia brevitarsis powder contained 61.10% unsaturated fatty acid with oleic acids. Additionally, Protaetia brevitarsis powder had a large quantity of minerals related to body organization, such as K (1597 mg/100 g), P (724.1 mg/100 g), Mg (366.3 mg/100 g), and so on. We also confirmed that all bacteria and all heavy metals analyzed in this study, except for very small amount of Hg (0.1±0.042 mg/kg), were not detected in the lysophilized Protaetia brevitarsis powder.

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The pharmacological efficacy of Protaetia (P.) brevitarsis larvae has been described in the Dongui Bogam.It is believed that the larvae are particularly useful for hepatic disorders. However, natural aversion has made it difficult to consume these larvae as food. Thus, we sought to make an eatable form of the larvae by establishing optimal conditions for larvae preparation. Larvae were selectively bred, sterilized, and a powder of larvae generated by freeze-drying. Afterward, the CellTiter 96 ® AQueous Non-Radioactive Cell Proliferation Assay (MTS) with the RAW 264.7 cell line was used to validate the safety of the powder as a food ingredient. We determined that oak sawdust sterilized by water vapor for 5 minutes could be used for larvae feed, and a feeding for 3～5 days followed by a fasting for 3 days were optimal conditions for larvae preparation. In addition, sterilization of larvae at 115 o C and 0.9 kgf/cm 3 (to avoid contamination of pathogenic bacteria and fungi) was successfully applied in the production of edible powder from P. brevitarsis. The optimized processes established in our experiments can be used in the industrial production of P. brevitarsis as a food ingredient.

In this study, the nutritional components of Tenebrio molitor, Protaetia brevitarsis, and Allomyrina dichotoma larvae, which have been registered as novel foods, were analyzed and compared to expand the diversity of selection criteria for edible insects. The contents of crude components, amino acids, fatty acids, and minerals were analyzed. According to the results of comparative analysis of edible insects, crude proteins were abundant in all three kinds of insects. The content of crude fat was the highest in T. molitor, and the content of carbohydrate was the highest in A. dichotoma. When comparing the composition of amino acids, total amino acid content and essential amino acids were the highest in T. molitor larvae. In T. molitor and P. brevitarsis larvae, the compositions of fatty acids were similar, with higher amounts of unsaturated fatty acids than in A. dichotoma. In terms of mineral content, A. dichotoma contained the highest amounts of calcium and iron, whereas P. brevitarsis contained the highest amounts of phosphorus and potassium. With these results, it is expected that edible insects could be selected according to nutritional demand. In addition, multiple combinations of edible insects will offer a richer intake of nutrients.

Although the grasshopper Oxya chinensis sinuosa has long been used as food in Korea, there is little data on its functional effects. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of O. c. sinuosa ethanol extract (OCE) in RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cells treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for induction of inflammation. First, we determined that there is no cytotoxicity at 2,000 μg/ml or less of OCE in RAW 264.7 cells. To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of OCE, we investigated expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6, and pro-inflammatory enzymes such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, we examined whether OCE could inhibit translocation of NF-κB p65 into the nucleus in LPS induced RAW 264.7 cells. As a result, we found that the mRNA and protein levels of TNF-α and IL-6 decreased in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells after treatment with OCE in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, we confirmed a 2,000 ug/ml concentration of OCE inhibited translocation of NF-κB p65 by immunnostaining and Western blot analysis, and a decrease in the protein expression levels of iNOS and COX-2. Accordingly, we suppose that OCE has an anti-inflammatory effect through down-regulation of TNF-α, IL-6, iNOS, and COX-2 related to NF-κB p65 inflammatory signaling pathways.