Listeria dynamics in a laboratory-scale food chain of mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor) intended for human consumption

Belleggia, Luca; Milanović, Vesna; Cardinali, Federica; Garofalo, Cristiana; Pasquini, Marina; Tavoletti, Stefano; Riolo, Paola; Ruschioni, Sara; Isidoro, Nunzio; Clementi, Francesca; Ntoumos, Athanasios; Aquilanti, Lucia; Osimani, Andrea

doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2020.107246

Cited by 11 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Though, recent studies have demonstrated the presence of Staphylococcus spp., Listeria sp. [51], and the ability of Listeria monocytogenes to survive and grow in this media [90,91], as well as Salmonella spp. [67].…”

Section: Initial Levels Of Hazards In Raw Tenebrio Molitormentioning

confidence: 99%

Control of Biological Hazards in Insect Processing: Application of HACCP Method for Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Powders

Kooh

Jury

Laurent

et al. 2020

Foods

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Entomophagy has been part of human diets for a long time in a significant part of the world, but insects are considered to be a novel food everywhere else. It would appear to be a strategic alternative in the future of human diet to face the challenge of ensuring food security for a growing world population, using more environmentally sustainable production systems than those required for the rearing of other animals. Tenebrio molitor, called yellow mealworm, is one of the most interesting insect species in view of mass rearing, and can be processed into a powder that ensures a long shelf life for its use in many potential products. When considering insects as food or feed, it is necessary to guarantee their safety. Therefore, manufacturers must implement a Hazard Analysis Critical Control plan (HACCP), to limit risks for consumers’ health. The aim of this case study was to develop a HACCP plan for Tenebrio molitor larvae powders for food in a risk-based approach to support their implementation in industry. Specific purposes were to identify related significant biological hazards and to assess the efficiency of different manufacturing process steps when used as Critical Control Points. Then, combinations of four different processes with four potential uses of powders by consumers in burger, protein shake, baby porridge, and biscuits were analyzed with regard to their safety.

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Section: Initial Levels Of Hazards In Raw Tenebrio Molitormentioning

confidence: 99%

Control of Biological Hazards in Insect Processing: Application of HACCP Method for Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Powders

Kooh

Jury

Laurent

et al. 2020

Foods

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“…However, the need for suitable postharvest techniques that can make it possible to accumulate practical quantities that are of high quality is also important. Notwithstanding the fact that many insect species are collected from wild habitats or likely to be reared in environments that potentially originate microbiological hazards [8][9][10][11], the rich nutritional profile of insects offers a suitable substrate for the growth of unwanted microorganisms, such as spoilage and pathogenic ones, when the conditions are suitable [12,13]. In Africa, freshly harvested or semi-processed insects find their way to rural open-air markets, with some favourite species consumed by humans reaching urban markets and restaurants [3,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Traditional Processing Techniques on the Nutritional and Microbiological Quality of Four Edible Insect Species Used for Food and Feed in East Africa

Nyangena

Mutungi

Imathiu

et al. 2020

Foods

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Edible insects are increasingly being considered as food and feed ingredients because of their rich nutrient content. Already, edible insect farming has taken-off in Africa, but quality and safety concerns call for simple, actionable hazard control mechanisms. We examined the effects of traditional processing techniques—boiling, toasting, solar-drying, oven-drying, boiling + oven-drying, boiling + solar-drying, toasting + oven-drying, toasting + solar-drying—on the proximate composition and microbiological quality of adult Acheta domesticus and Ruspolia differens, the prepupae of Hermetia illucens and 5th instar larvae of Spodoptera littoralis. Boiling, toasting, and drying decreased the dry matter crude fat by 0.8–51% in the order: toasting > boiling > oven-drying > solar-drying, whereas the protein contents increased by 1.2–22% following the same order. Boiling and toasting decreased aerobic mesophilic bacterial populations, lowered Staphylococcus aureus, and eliminated the yeasts and moulds, Lac+ enteric bacteria, and Salmonella. Oven-drying alone marginally lowered bacterial populations as well as yeast and moulds, whereas solar-drying alone had no effect on these parameters. Oven-drying of the boiled or toasted products increased the aerobic mesophilic bacteria counts but the products remained negative on Lac+ enteric bacteria and Salmonella. Traditional processing improves microbial safety but alters the nutritional value. Species- and treatment-specific patterns exist.

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“…It is also important to estimate the risks for coincidental contamination during insect rearing or processing by a certain pathogen (EFSA Scientific Committee, 2015; Wynants et al, 2018). Studies that monitor the dynamics of a specific food pathogen when present in the substrate by inoculating the pathogen in the substrate (so-called challenge tests) are emerging in recent years (Belleggia et al, 2020;Mancini et al, 2019c;Wynants et al, 2019).…”

Section: Risk Assessments On the Transfer Of Biological Contaminants During Rearing Of Insectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This contamination seemed to persist for at least seven days. According to Belleggia et al (2020), Listeria spp. can even multiply in the gut of the mealworm larvae.…”

Section: Risk Assessments On the Transfer Of Biological Contaminants During Rearing Of Insectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological contaminants in insects as food and feed

Vandeweyer

Smet

Looveren

et al. 2021

JIFF

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During the last decade, edible insects have successfully taken a meaningful position in the feed and food chain. To expand this position, product safety continuously needs to be warranted. This review focuses on the current knowledge and the future challenges on the prevalence of human foodborne pathogens in edible insects. The top three of the bacterial pathogens associated with insects for food are Staphylococcus aureus, pathogenic Clostridium spp. and pathogenic species of the Bacillus cereus group. Less is known about other types of biological contaminants, the fungi, viruses, protozoa and prions. For insects for feed, even less reports on pathogens are available so far, although the microbiota of Hermetia illucens is increasingly being studied in the latest years. In addition to the evaluation of endogenous microorganisms in insects, an overview is given of inoculation experiments to study the fate of specific food pathogens during rearing. Future challenges that are identified mainly relate to the fact that risk assessments directed to specific insect species are needed. Also, more research data are needed on the microbiological quality of substrates and residue, in connection with decontamination treatments. The house flora of rearing facilities has not been investigated before. The insect supply chain can generate insights in the microbiological quality of the integral chain by implementing exhaustive sampling plans and by applying predictive microbiology. Additionally, microbiological methods used in research and quality control require standardisation. Rather unexplored so far is the unculturable fraction of the insect microbial community and its importance in food safety. Last but not least, the most important microbiological challenge may well be situated in the further development of the sector: upscaling in terms of capacity and number of companies will increase the complexity of the sector. That will have implications for monitoring and control of biological contaminants.

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Listeria dynamics in a laboratory-scale food chain of mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor) intended for human consumption

Cited by 11 publications

References 31 publications

Control of Biological Hazards in Insect Processing: Application of HACCP Method for Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Powders

Control of Biological Hazards in Insect Processing: Application of HACCP Method for Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Powders

Effects of Traditional Processing Techniques on the Nutritional and Microbiological Quality of Four Edible Insect Species Used for Food and Feed in East Africa

Biological contaminants in insects as food and feed

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