Current state of insect proteins: extraction technologies, bioactive peptides and allergenicity of edible insect proteins

Abstract

This review presents recent findings on edible insect proteins and extraction techniques. Explores insect peptide bioactivity and bioinformatics to predict peptide features. Covers insect allergens and processing methods to mitigate allergenicity.

Exploring the potential applications of biopeptides from seaweeds, insects, and food wastes: mechanisms, utilisation, and industry implications

“…To date, H. illucens seems to be the insect containing the highest essential amino acid (EAA) amounts, reaching 45 g/100 g protein, when compared to beef (41.9 g/100 g protein) (Ma et al ., 2023). The widely researched T. molitor , A. domesticus , and A. mellifera also possess very high amounts of EAAs, which are 33.84 g/100 g protein, 36.39 g/100 g protein, and 37.7 g/100 g protein, respectively.…”

“…Moreover, the protein content in common edible insects such as A. domesticus (72.45%), T. molitor (45%), and A. assamensis pupae (38.05%) is higher than that in common legumes such as lentils (26.7%), beans (23.5%), and soya bean (41.1%) (Laroche et al ., 2019; Psarianos et al ., 2022; Sarkar et al ., 2022). These insects are used in the production of insect flours, protein concentrates, and isolates, and they have shown numerous biological functions including ACE inhibition, antioxidant, and anti‐inflammatory activities (Ma et al ., 2023).…”

“…Enzymatic hydrolysis and the use of other technologies such as ultrasound and microwave can disrupt the secondary structure of certain allergens and the subsequent recognition by IgE, leading to a drastic reduction in the side effects of these allergenic reactions. However, new active sites can be generated during processing (Ma et al ., 2023).…”

“…Moreover, the mechanistic studies of the anti‐inflammatory peptides are still lacking, along with their specific inhibition sites of action. Novel protein and peptide identification techniques focusing on water‐soluble proteins and other protein groups with different solubility (salt soluble, organic solvents, and alkali/acid diluted solutions) could provide key knowledge to characterise and classify insect proteins in more depth and generate insights into novel peptide bioactivities (Sun et al ., 2022; Ma et al ., 2023).…”

Edible insects as a source of biopeptides and their role in immunonutrition

“…Edible-insect protein composition is influenced by a number of elements, including diet, the developmental stage, and processing. 76 Various nutritional profiles of edible insects indicate varying protein quality levels, which in turn affect the amount of bioactive peptides present. Evaluating their release from native proteins employing different proteases would lead to the release of different sequences.…”