Analysis of Fatty Acid Composition and Phospholipid Content of Drone Pupae ( Apis mellifera L.) Using Different Pre-treatment Methods

Drone pupae are a natural resource suitable for the development of various food materials and formulations. In 2022, in Korea, drone pupae were approved as a food ingredient. However, research on quality standardization remains insufficient. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to establish quality control marker components and provide foundational data necessary for the utilization of drone pupae in food applications by analyzing their fatty acid composition and phospholipid content. Fatty acid analysis revealed eight types of saturated fatty acids and five types of unsaturated fatty acids, with palmitic and oleic acids being the most abundant saturated and unsaturated fatty acid types, respectively. The phospholipid content was 43.90mg/g in drone pupae powder (DP-P) and 105.65 mg/g in drone pupae oil(DP-O). These findings suggest that the fatty acid composition and phospholipid content serve as quality control markers for drone pupae. In addition, this study provides foundational data for the future development of drone pupae-based food material.