Lipids from Insects in Cosmetics and for Personal Care Products

Insects, the most varied group of known organisms on Earth, are arousing great interest also for the possibility to use them as a feed and food source. The mass rearing of some species, defined as “bioconverters”, is spreading worldwide, thanks to their sustainability. At the end of the bioconversion process, breeders obtain eco-friendly biomolecules of high biological and economic value, including proteins and lipids, from larvae of bioconverter insects, in particular Hermetia illucens. Besides the most classical use of insect lipids as food additives, they are also used in the formulation of several products for personal care. The composition of insect lipids depends on the substrate on which the insects are reared but also on the insect species, so the cosmetic producers should consider these features to choose their insect starting point. The most abundant fatty acids detected in H. illucens are lauric, myristic, palmitic, and oleic acids, regardless of feed substrate; its fatty acids composition is favorable for soap composition, while their derivatives are used for detergent and shampoo. Here, we offer an overview of insect lipids, their extraction methods, and their application in cosmetics and personal care products.

Influence of fatty acids composition in different tissue of mice feeds with fish oils

Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA), such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) play an important role in human health. Fish oils enriched with EPA and DHA have commercialized in triacylglycerol (TAG) and ethyl ester forms (EE). In this study, we compared the impact of diets containing fish oil in ethyl ester and triacylglycerol forms as a lipid source in five different tissues as liver, skeleteral muscle, brain, and epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT). The DHA levels were higher in the WAT and skeletal muscle of TAG and EE groups in comparison with the SB group. The body weight and brain, liver, epididymal WAT, and gastrocnemius muscle weights, and serum glucose, TG, cholesterol were not different between the groups. Thus, we conclude that EPA and DHA in the form of EE or TAG influence the fatty acids composition of different tissues.

Cold Exposure Affects Lipid Metabolism, Fatty Acids Composition and Transcription in Pig Skeletal Muscle

Cold exposure promotes glucose oxidation and modulates the lipid metabolism in adipose tissue, but it is still not fully clear whether cold exposure could affect meat quality and fatty acid metabolism in skeletal muscle of pig in vivo. Here, we kept finishing pigs under cold or room temperature overnight and determined the effects of cold exposure on meat quality, fatty acids composition and transcriptional changes in skeletal muscle of pigs. We found that cold exposure significantly reduced the meat colour24 h and pH24 h, without affecting carcass characteristics and other meat quality traits. Considerable changes were found in the proportions of individual fatty acids and the total content of saturated fatty acid, polyunsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acid and n3-fatty acids. RNA-seq results showed upregulated fatty acid biosynthesis genes and downregulated mitochondrial beta-oxidation genes. The lipid metabolism in cold-treated longissimus dorsi muscle might be regulated by functions of the lipoprotein particle, the extracellular matrix, and the PPAR signaling pathways. Our study revealed the potential of cold exposure to regulate the lipid metabolism and fatty acid composition in skeletal muscle of farmed animals.