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.

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.

With the objective of developing a functional food source, we established optimal processing conditions for the larvae of Allomyrina dichotoma, which have been used in traditional medicine to treat hepatic disorders in Korea. Without suitable processing, the larvae are difficult to consume as a food because of their disgusting taste and smell; moreover, in this form they might be a potential microbial hazard. In this study, we investigated the effect of feeding material, sterilization, and powdering after freeze-drying on the food quality of the larvae of A. dichotoma and on cytotoxicity against Raw 264.7 cells. Three to five days feeding with the sawdust from discarded oak-trees is sufficient for the breeding process. The sawdust was sterilized by vapor for five minutes. Sterilization of the larvae at a high temperature (115℃ for 5 min, 0.9 kgf/cm 2 ) is necessary to eliminate pathogenic bacteria and fungi.The results of the cytotoxicity assay showed no toxicity in the prepared extract from larvae of A. dichotoma. In addition, to prepare the larvae for human consumption, various feeds were used and the smell, color, and taste were evaluated. Our results suggested that larvae of A. dichotoma could be developed as food source when a suitable processing method is established.