Could Defatted Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) and Mealworm Oil Be Used as Food Ingredients?

Before edible insects may be used as an alternative food, it is necessary to develop basic product forms and evaluate their characteristics. We made two basic commercial products (defatted powder and oil) from mealworm, a popular edible insect. The defatted mealworm powder possessed a sufficient amount of protein, and it had a savory taste due to plentiful free amino acids. Additionally, it had abundant minor nutrients and bioactive compounds. The physicochemical properties of mealworm oil were very similar to vegetable oil, and mealworm oil was also abundant in bioactive nutrients, especially γ-tocopherol. In addition, the predicted shelf life of mealworm oil was suitable for commercial use. Moreover, mealworm had high antioxidant and anti-inflammation activities, which may arise from functional peptides and glucosamine derivatives such as chitin and chitosan. In short, the defatted mealworm powder and mealworm oil could be successfully used as novel food ingredients.

Functional genomics identifies novel and diverse molecular targets of nutrients in vivo

Genomic responses to nutrients are important determinants of physiological and pathological functions of living systems. Many of these responses are mediated by changes in mRNA concentrations that are primarily regulated by gene transcription. Transcriptional networks that regulate the expression and activities of transcription factors and structural genes in response to nutrients need to be defined. The tools of functional genomics and bioinformatics offer powerful means to address these needs. The application of global mRNA profiling tools to define genome-wide responses to nutrients and micronutrients with a primary focus on in vivo genomic responses of vital organs of laboratory mice is reviewed here. The studies show that major and minor nutrients affect the expression of mRNAs that are related to aging and inflammation, and chemically diverse micronutrients such as polyphenols and tocopherols may exert their effects through modulating the expression of functionally related genes.