Effects of Hexane on Protein Profile, Solubility and Foaming Properties of Defatted Proteins Extracted from Tenebrio molitor Larvae
1
Department of Food Sciences, Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF), Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
2
Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bio-Informatics, Institute of Integrative Biology and Systems (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Molecules 2021, 26(2), 351; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26020351
Received: 15 December 2020 / Revised: 8 January 2021 / Accepted: 9 January 2021 / Published: 12 January 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Protein Sources for Food Production and Human Nutrition)
Inclusion of edible insects in human diets is increasingly promoted as a sustainable source of proteins with high nutritional value. While consumer acceptability remains the main challenge to their integration into Western food culture, the use of edible insects as meal and protein concentrate could decrease neophobia. The defatting of edible insects, mostly done with hexane, is the first step in producing protein ingredients. However, its impact on protein profiles and techno-functionality is still unclear. Consequently, this study compares the protein profiles of hexane-defatted and non-hexane-defatted yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) meals and protein extracts, and evaluates the impact of hexane on protein solubility and foaming properties. Results showed that profiles for major proteins were similar between hexane-defatted and non-defatted samples, however some specific content differences (e.g., hexamerin 2) were observed and characterized using proteomic tools. Protein solubility was markedly lower for T. molitor meals compared to protein extracts. A large increase in the foaming capacity was observed for defatted fractions, whereas foam stability decreased similarly in all fractions. Consequently, although the hexane-defatting step was largely studied to produce edible insect protein ingredients, it is necessary to precisely understand its impact on their techno-functional properties for the development of food formulations.
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Keywords:
Tenebrio molitor; hexane defatting step; protein concentrates; protein profile and identification; protein solubility; foaming capacity
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MDPI and ACS Style
Gravel, A.; Marciniak, A.; Couture, M.; Doyen, A. Effects of Hexane on Protein Profile, Solubility and Foaming Properties of Defatted Proteins Extracted from Tenebrio molitor Larvae. Molecules 2021, 26, 351.
AMA Style
Gravel A, Marciniak A, Couture M, Doyen A. Effects of Hexane on Protein Profile, Solubility and Foaming Properties of Defatted Proteins Extracted from Tenebrio molitor Larvae. Molecules. 2021; 26(2):351.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGravel, Alexia; Marciniak, Alice; Couture, Manon; Doyen, Alain. 2021. "Effects of Hexane on Protein Profile, Solubility and Foaming Properties of Defatted Proteins Extracted from Tenebrio molitor Larvae" Molecules 26, no. 2: 351.
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