Inclusion of typical Mexican ingredients in canned escamoles (Liometopum apiculatum): thermophysical and physicochemical properties

Abstract

Escamoles are the larvae of the ant Liometopum apiculatum and have been consumed in Mexico since pre-Hispanic times. Currently, they are one of the most consumed insects in Mexico because of their organoleptic and nutritional characteristics. Escamoles are rich in protein, unsaturated fatty acids, including oleic, linoleic, linolenic, and arachidic acid, as well as vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin. Escamoles, however, have a shelf life of five days at 4 °C. Canning is an alternative process for increasing their shelf life and creating new products. Therefore, the objective of this study was to include traditional Mexican food ingredients for creating new canned escamoles products, as well as to determine and validate the canning time. Four canned escamoles products were obtained according to an official Mexican regulation using the following ingredients: mole, adobo, butter, Mexican mix, and tamarind sauce. Cylindrical cans with a diameter of 68 mm and height of 76 mm were used in all experiments. The sterilisation process was performed with saturated steam at 121 °C. The process time was calculated with a graphic method and validated by a microbiological test. Additionally, thermophysical properties, chemical composition, lipid oxidation, structural changes, and sensory evaluation were determined after the canning process. The process time (P<0.05) of products varied between 13 to 38 min. The microbiological tests were negative in all experiments. The chemical composition and thermophysical properties of products (P<0.05) were dependent on the ingredient used. The escamoles structure remained intact after the canning process. The hedonic scale for escamoles in the Mexican mix and in butter was 5.0, equivalent to ‘like slightly’. For the products in mole and tamarind sauce, the score was 4.0, meaning ‘neither like nor dislike’. The inclusion of Mexican gastronomic ingredients in canned escamoles allowed designing new products without damaging the nutritional and sensory characteristics of escamoles.