Environmental life cycle assessment of yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) production for human consumption in Austria – a comparison of mealworm and broiler as protein source

Dreyer, Moritz; Hörtenhuber, Stefan; Zollitsch, Werner; Jäger, Henry; Schaden, Lisa-Marie; Gronauer, Andreas; Kral, Iris

doi:10.1007/s11367-021-01980-4

Cited by 21 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(60 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Some edible insects have been proposed as suitable alternatives to meat because of their amino acid (AA) profiles, their high protein content, and their potential for mass production ( 2 ) at a reduced burden on the environment. Compared to livestock, insect farming has a lower environmental impact ( 3 , 4 ) because of more favorable feed conversion ratios ( 5 , 6 ), greenhouse gas emissions ( 7 ), water pollution ( 8 ), and land use ( 9 ). To date, more than 2,000 edible insects have been reported ( 10 ), which are consumed by at least 2 billion people ( 11 ) as part of their traditional diets ( 12 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor) and crickets (Acheta domesticus) show high total protein in vitro digestibility and can provide good-to-excellent protein quality as determined by in vitro DIAAS

Hammer,

Moretti,

Abbühl-Eng

et al. 2023

Front. Nutr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Edible insects, such as mealworms (Tenebrio molitor larvae; TM) and crickets (Acheta domesticus; AD), are a sustainable, protein-dense novel food with a favorable amino acid profile, which might be an alternative to animal proteins. To assess the protein quality of TM and AD, we assessed the digestible indispensable amino acid scores (DIAAS), considering individual amino acids and their ileal amino acid digestibility, using an in vitro model based on the INFOGEST digestion protocol. In addition, we evaluated if various processing and food preparation steps influenced the in vitro digestibility of individual amino acids and the in vitro DIAAS values of TM and AD and compared them to chicken breast as a reference of excellent protein quality. The total protein in vitro digestibility ranged from 91 to 99% for TM and from 79 to 93% for AD and was negatively affected by oven-drying and, to a lesser extent, by chitin-reduction. The in vitro DIAAS values were 113, 89, and 92 for chicken, blanched TM, and blanched AD, respectively, when considering the indispensable amino acid (IAA) requirements of young children between 6 months and 3 years. Across different processing and food preparation methods, the in vitro DIAAS values ranged between 59 and 89 for TM and between 40 and 92 for AD, with the lowest values found in chitin-reduced insects. Due to their similarities to chicken regarding protein composition, total protein in vitro digestibility, and in vitro DIAAS values, TM and AD might be an alternative to traditional animal proteins, provided that suitable processing and food preparation methods are applied. Our in vitro DIAAS results suggest that TM and AD can thus be considered good-quality protein sources for children older than 6 months. The DIAAS calculations are currently based on crude protein (total nitrogen × 6.25), resulting in an overestimation of insect protein content, and leading to an underestimation and potential misclassification of protein quality. The in vitro model applied in this study is a valuable tool for product development to optimize the protein quality of edible insects. Further studies are required to assess the in vivo DIAAS of insects in humans.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor) and crickets (Acheta domesticus) show high total protein in vitro digestibility and can provide good-to-excellent protein quality as determined by in vitro DIAAS

Hammer,

Moretti,

Abbühl-Eng

et al. 2023

Front. Nutr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The changes in the regulation are essential because food and feed sources are needed for the continually growing world population and can contribute to global food security. Moreover, the increasing demand for protein-rich food (especially meat) and livestock feed contributes to climate change [ 3 , 4 , 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adding Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) Powder to Wheat Bread: Effects on Physicochemical, Sensory and Microbiological Qualities of the End-Product

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Entomophagy, that is, the consumption of insects, is gaining more and more popularity. The research carried out so far on the use of edible insects in the food industry has shown that they are a valuable source of protein, and do not significantly affect the functional and sensory properties of food. Edible insects also contribute to sustainable, environment friendly food production. Taking the above into account, the influence of adding insect powder on the physicochemical properties, sensory characteristics, and microbiological qualities of wheat bread was evaluated. This study aimed to partially replace wheat flour (5, 10, and 15%) in bread with mealworm powder (T. molitor) to produce protein-fortified bread. Bread containing mealworm powder showed similar density and water activity compared to the control wheat bread. The addition of mealworm powder did not negatively affect the properties of bread. The total color difference increased significantly (p < 0.05) with the insect flour share in bread formulation and ranged between 2.27 for M5, 4.00 for M10, and 4.50 for M15. The protein content in bread fortified with 5–15% mealworm powder increased by 15–59% compared to the control bread, whereas fat content increased by 35% to 113%. Results of sensory evaluation revealed that modification of the recipe, depending on the mealworm powder addition level, significantly (p < 0.05) affected bread color, odor, flavor, and overall sensory quality. The research showed that the optimal enrichment level is using 5% mealworm flour in the bread recipe. Moreover, the obtained variants of bread were characterized by good microbiological quality after baking. In bread M10, no yeasts and molds were found during a period of 2 days of storage. The number of yeasts and molds in the other bread variants was relatively low. To conclude, the results confirmed the usefulness of insect powder in making protein-fortified bread of good quality comparable to traditional wheat bread.

show abstract

“…YML can be used as feed for swine [ 16 , 156 ], chicken [ 9 , 157 ], and fish [ 158 ]. However, it may be currently difficult to achieve economic sustainability in the insect production sector with low- or medium-scale operations [ 159 ]. This is mainly due to the fact that insect-based feed can be more expensive than conventional feed sources [ 160 ].…”

Section: Future Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the nutritional values of yellow mealworm Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) larvae as an animal feed ingredient: a review

Syahrulawal,

Torske,

Sapkota

et al. 2023

J Animal Sci Biotechnol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Yellow mealworm larvae (YML; Tenebrio molitor) are considered as a valuable insect species for animal feed due to their high nutritional values and ability to grow under different substrates and rearing conditions. Advances in the understanding of entomophagy and animal nutrition over the past decades have propelled research areas toward testing multiple aspects of YML to exploit them better as animal feed sources. This review aims to summarize various approaches that could be exploited to maximize the nutritional values of YML as an animal feed ingredient. In addition, YML has the potential to be used as an antimicrobial or bioactive agent to improve animal health and immune function in production animals. The dynamics of the nutritional profile of YML can be influenced by multiple factors and should be taken into account when attempting to optimize the nutrient contents of YML as an animal feed ingredient. Specifically, the use of novel land-based and aquatic feeding resources, probiotics, and the exploitation of larval gut microbiomes as novel strategies can assist to maximize the nutritional potential of YML. Selection of relevant feed supplies, optimization of ambient conditions, the introduction of novel genetic selection procedures, and implementation of effective post-harvest processing may be required in the future to commercialize mealworm production. Furthermore, the use of appropriate agricultural practices and technological improvements within the mealworm production sector should be aimed at achieving both economic and environmental sustainability. The issues highlighted in this review could pave the way for future approaches to improve the nutritional value of YML.

show abstract

Environmental life cycle assessment of yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) production for human consumption in Austria – a comparison of mealworm and broiler as protein source

Cited by 21 publications

References 33 publications

Mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor) and crickets (Acheta domesticus) show high total protein in vitro digestibility and can provide good-to-excellent protein quality as determined by in vitro DIAAS

Mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor) and crickets (Acheta domesticus) show high total protein in vitro digestibility and can provide good-to-excellent protein quality as determined by in vitro DIAAS

Adding Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) Powder to Wheat Bread: Effects on Physicochemical, Sensory and Microbiological Qualities of the End-Product

Improving the nutritional values of yellow mealworm Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) larvae as an animal feed ingredient: a review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About