Beyond Heat: Mild processing of edible insect protein

Summary

Insects are being considered as a sustainable protein source. Blanching is used for microbial and endogenous enzyme inactivation, but the process can affect protein structure and therefore reduce protein functionality. This thesis explored milder alternative methods to blanching. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP), pulsed electric fields (PEF), microfiltration, and dry fractionation were used to reduce microbial count in insects (lesser mealworms and house crickets) and/or obtain different insect fractions, without affecting their protein functionalities, such as solubility. HHP was effective in inactivating microorganisms and keeping the protein structure intact, while PEF required a temperature increase to be as effective. Microfiltration successfully removed microorganisms and provided fractions with different protein functionalities. Dry fractionation was considered to be promising in separating insects into different fractions with different compositions and/or functionality. Overall, mild processing methods are valuable tools for the insect industry as they maintain protein structure better than traditional methods.