Towards sustainable insect-based foods: Supercritical CO₂ extraction of Tenebrio molitor oil and protein-rich flour

The growing demand for sustainable protein sources has driven the exploration of edible insects such as Tenebrio molitor L., whose larvae exhibit high protein content and a low environmental impact. In this study, oil extraction from the larvae using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) was investigated, aiming to recover lipids and enrich the protein content of the defatted flour. Through response surface modeling with parameter reduction, it was found that CO₂ flow rate positively influences the extraction yield, while pressure exhibits a negative quadratic effect, and its interaction with flow rate is unfavorable. Experimentally, the maximum extraction yield achieved was 31.4%, which is higher than the 22.1% predicted by the model. The analysis of the oil’s physicochemical properties revealed potential for food applications. Therefore, the study recommends multicriteria optimization approaches to improve model accuracy and enhance both process performance and product quality. • Supercritical CO₂ is a sustainable method to process Tenebrio molitor larvae. • Tenebrio molitor flour defatted with CO₂ becomes protein rich. • A temperature of 40 °C preserves compounds, and the lipid profile highlights nutritional value. • A reduced seven-term mathematical model showed greater robustness and explanatory clarity.