Compared to animal protein, the production of insect protein incurs less environmental burden, feed cost, and greenhouse gas generation. Therefore, developing insect protein as a future meat substitute is one of the solutions to address future population growth and environmental degradation.

Using yellow mealworm powder, defatted yellow mealworm powder, or yellow mealworm protein as a substitute for some animal meat in meat products can avoid consumer aversion to insect morphology that leads to consumption decisions. Orkusz reviewed and compared the nutritional value of various meat products and insects, and found that insects and meat products have similar protein content, essential amino acid content, and essential fatty acid content, all of which can provide the necessary nutrients for the human body.

In addition, insects can also provide vitamin C and dietary fiber. Cho and Ryul added yellow mealworm powder to plant-based protein simulated meat products, with a base ingredient containing 65% defatted soybean powder, 25% soy protein isolate, and 10% corn starch. Yellow mealworm was added at 15% and 30% of the base ingredient, and the simulated meat was obtained through twin-screw extrusion. Yellow mealworm powder increased protein solubility, digestibility, and antioxidant activity, but decreased the texture characteristics of simulated meat.

This may be due to the weakening of molecular interactions within the soybean protein network by yellow mealworm powder, which is similar to the effect of adding yellow mealworm powder to the gluten network. Compared to freeze-dried yellow mealworm raw materials, dried and microwave dried yellow mealworm raw materials have better aroma, which may be due to the Maillard reaction occurring during the drying process due to temperature rise.

2. Application of yellow mealworm oil

As an insect with abundant oil content, yellow mealworms not only provide abundant protein but also can be used to extract yellow mealworm oil, usually using organic solvent extraction method. The fatty acid composition of its oil is shown in Table 3, which contains a high content of unsaturated fatty acids, with oleic acid and linoleic acid being the most abundant. The vitamin E content in yellow mealworm oil measured by Son et al. is 144.3 mg/1000g oil, which is higher than most animal derived oils and slightly lower than the vitamin E content in plant oils.

Jeon et al. studied the effect of frying at 200 ℃ for 5 to 15 minutes on yellow mealworm oil and found that frying would deepen the color of the oil and increase the content of oleic acid and tocopherol. The fried yellow mealworm oil also exhibited better oil oxidation stability, which may be due to the Maillard reaction products produced during the frying process having certain antioxidant properties. 3. Application of yellow mealworm protein: Defatted yellow mealworm powder is further purified to obtain high-purity yellow mealworm protein. Previous studies have measured the solubility, emulsifying properties, foaming properties, and functional characteristics of the hydrolysis products of yellow mealworm protein.

Yoo et al. prepared hydrolysates of insect proteins such as yellow mealworm protein using flavor enzymes, alkaline proteases, or a mixture of the two. They found that the solubility was significantly increased after hydrolysis by several enzymatic methods, while the foaming ability was reduced. Flavor enzyme treatment significantly improved the emulsifying activity and stability of yellow mealworm protein. After alkaline protease hydrolysis, angiotensin-converting enzyme was significantly inhibited, and treatment with enzyme mixture showed a significant effect on α- Effective inhibition of glucosidase activity.

The functional characteristics of yellow mealworm isolate protein are comparable to existing commercial plant proteins and have the potential to be applied in food systems. The preparation of lotion from Tenebrio molitor protein and the design of bioactive substance transport system such as curcumin have been studied. Grossmann et al. hydrolyzed yellow mealworm protein and reacted it with xylose at 98 ℃ for 30 minutes in a Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction enhanced its bitterness and freshness, indicating that the hydrolysis product of yellow mealworm protein can be used as a raw material for the development of new flavor substances.