Projects - LJH (Luc) Sweers MSc

Insects are gaining attention as sustainable protein sources due to the ongoing protein transition. The current industrial processing of edible insects often includes thermal processing, which can negatively affect the techno-functional protein properties. Therefore, mild alternative processing techniques should be evaluated as they may retain the techno-functional protein properties to a larger extent. The main objective of this thesis was to design processing strategies for insects to reduce the microbial load while preserving the protein nativity. These processing strategies include high-pressure processing (HPP), pulsed electric field processing (PEF), microfiltration, and dry fractionation.

We found that both HPP and PEF could induce microbial inactivation, although the effects of PEF were only industrially relevant due to the combined effect of electroporation and heat-induced inactivation. HPP and PEF could keep the protein more native than conventional blanching treatments. Microfiltration was able to achieve microbial stability. It yielded distinct fractions that could be used for different applications. Dry fractionation of insects was reviewed and concluded to be promising for insects. As dry fractionation is not commonly used for insects, different possible optimisation steps, both on protein yield and functionality, were identified.

The choice between mild processing and traditional processing depends on the desired final product functionality. In most cases, mild processes do retain the protein functionality to a larger extent. However, when this is of lesser importance or the desired functionality is not impacted by thermal processing, it may be of economic interest to use thermal processes instead of mild processes.