Insect Protein Concentrate Production from Innovative AnimalBased Food Raw Materials

The purpose of this work was to determine the optimal technological parameters for the production of insect protein concentrate from mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), house cricket (Acheta domesticus) and black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) with a protein content of at least 65% with possible scalability for modern food industry purposes. Materials and methods. In this work, frozen and dried biomass of mealworm, house cricket and black soldier fly was studied. Extraction, filtration and drying methods to isolate the insect proteins were used. To analyze protein concentration, Kjeldahl, Lowry and Bradford methods were used. Lipid concentration was analysed according to GOST 23042-2015. Results. Based on the review of scientific literature on modern deep-processing methods of plant-based raw materials (legumes) and the author’s own research on isolating protein and lipid fractions from insect biomass, a technology of protein concentrate extraction from insects was developed. The key stages include obtaining protein, lipid, and chitin fractions. The crucial role in the process of obtaining purified protein involve extraction, concentration, purification and drying. The developed scheme was tested on the biomass produced from A. domesticus, T. molitor, and H. illucens, resulting in three freeze-dried samples of insect protein containing at least 65% protein. Conclusion. Optimal technological parameters for the production of insect protein concentrate from innovative food raw materials, namely, Tenebrio molitor, Acheta domesticus and Hermetia illucens, were determined. The optimized conditions for isolating lipid and protein fractions enable not only to obtain purified insect protein without costly and toxic reagents, but also the transition from laboratory to semi-industrial protein production. Studies of insect protein concentrate (minimum 65% protein content) proved its high biological value, comparable to traditional sources of complete protein.