Determination of nutritional values of mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) larvae fed with turmeric (novel food product)
digestion, bioavailable phenolics increased to 801.47 mg GAE/100 g in Tm-T, exceeding the 637.76 mg GAE/100 g value in Tm-C. Antioxidant bioavailability was determined as 49.41 μmol Trolox/g in Tm-T and 41.76 μmol Trolox/g in Tm-C using the ABTS method. In the amino acid profile, the mean of the total amount of essential amino acids was 5.99 g/100 g, with lysine (1.25 g/100 g) and leucine (1.38 g/100 g) being prominent. Amino acids were determined by LC-MS/MS and the essential profile was found to be balanced. Consequently, turmeric-supplemented feeding improves the protein quality of larval powder and the phenolic/antioxidant potential released during digestion, supporting the use of edible insects as carriers of functional components in terms of food innovation.
Authors
- Dilek DÜLGER ALTINER (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7043-2883)
- Emine AYDIN (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9032-8525)
- Moneera O. Aljobair (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8744-3784)
- İbrahim Akyazı (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8808-8216)
- Seydi Yıkmış (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8694-0658)
- Deniz Aktaran Bala
- Sema SANDIKÇI ALTUNATMAZ (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9437-3366)
- Emad Karrar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1031-1251)
- Isam A. Mohamed Ahmed
- Cansu Çelik Doğan
- Filiz Aksu
Institutions
- Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (SA)
- Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University (TR)
- Dakota State University (US)
- King Saud University (SA)
- Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa (TR)
- Kocaeli Üniversitesi (TR)
- Düzce Üniversitesi (TR)
- North Dakota State University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Nutrition
- Published
- 2026-04-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2026.1812226
- Primary Topic
- Insect Utilization and Effects
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- King Saud University
- Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University