The Influence of Different Sustainable Substrates on the Nutritional Value of Tenebrio molitor Larvae
Author:
Jankauskienė Agnė1ORCID, Aleknavičius Dominykas2ORCID, Kiseliovienė Sandra3, Antanaitis Šarūnas4, Falkauskas Rimvydas5ORCID, Šumskienė Marijona6, Juknienė Ignė1ORCID, Kabašinskienė Aistė1
Affiliation:
1. Department of Food Safety and Quality, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Veterinary Academy, Tilzes St. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania 2. Divaks, UAB, Vinco Kudirkos G. 22-12, LT-01113 Vilnius, Lithuania 3. Food Institute, Kaunas University of Technology, Radvilenu Pl. 19, LT-50254 Kaunas, Lithuania 4. Agrochemical Research Laboratory, Analytical Department, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Instituto Al. 1, LT-58344 Akademija, Lithuania 5. National Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute, Tilzes St. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania 6. Culinary Art and Wellness Laboratory, Alytus STEAM Open Access Center Food Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences and Engineering, Alytus College, Studentu St. 17, LT-62252 Alytus, Lithuania
Abstract
Every year, over 30% of food production is wasted. However, promoting a sustainable food supply not only fosters economic stability in agriculture and the food industry, but also safeguards precious natural resources and ensures universal food access and safety. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine how specific growth conditions (utilizing by-products: sprouted potatoes (1), wheat bran (2), brewers’ spent grain (3), and a control sample with agar-agar gels (4)) affect the larvae of yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor). This includes their nutritional and energy value, consumer sensory profiling, and technological parameters of processing. The results have indicated that larvae reared on the substrate with wheat bran had the highest energy value, at 708.26 kcal. In larvae, the difference in protein content was not significant when changing the rearing conditions, and ranged between 48.54 and 59.18%. The larvae contained a significant content of fibers, with the highest amount detected in samples with brewers’ spent grain. The data indicate that glucose and arabinose were distinctive to larvae. Our study has also revealed a statistical difference in ash content between larvae and the substrate, with higher levels of nitrogen, copper, and zinc detected in the larvae compared to the substrate. We have found that the salt was naturally occurring in the substrates, with the brewers’ spent grain sample having the highest amount, at 1.83%. However, the control sample yielded the highest ratings, achieving a score of 7.30 for general smell acceptability. These findings emphasize the potential of utilizing various industrial and farm by-products as substrates for mealworms, transforming them into a sustainable and nutrient-rich food source. This contribution adds to the broader discourse on nutritional value and resource efficiency.
Subject
Plant Science,Health Professions (miscellaneous),Health (social science),Microbiology,Food Science
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