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. 2023 Jun 9;12(12):2331.
doi: 10.3390/foods12122331.

A Multimethodological Approach for the Chemical Characterization of Edible Insects: The Case Study of Acheta domesticus

Mattia Spano  1   2 , Giacomo Di Matteo  1   2 , Carlos Alberto Fernandez Retamozo  1   2 , Alba Lasalvia  1 , Marco Ruggeri  3 , Giuseppina Sandri  3 , Carlos Cordeiro  4 , Marta Sousa Silva  4 , Carlotta Totaro Fila  5 , Stefania Garzoli  1 , Maria Elisa Crestoni  1 , Luisa Mannina  1   2
Affiliations

A Multimethodological Approach for the Chemical Characterization of Edible Insects: The Case Study of Acheta domesticus

Mattia Spano et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Acheta domesticus (house cricket) has been recently introduced into the official European list of novel foods, representing an alternative and sustainable food source. Up to now, the chemical characterization of this edible insect has been focused only on specific classes of compounds. Here, three production batches of an A. domesticus powder were investigated by means of a multimethodological approach based on NMR, FT-ICR MS, and GC-MS methodologies. The applied analytical protocol, proposed for the first time in the study of an edible insect, allowed us to identify and quantify compounds not previously reported in crickets. In particular, methyl-branched hydrocarbons, previously identified in other insects, together with other compounds such as citrulline, formate, γ-terpinene, p-cymene, α-thujene, β-thujene, and 4-carene were detected. Amino acids, organic acids, and fatty acids were also identified and quantified. The improved knowledge of the chemical profile of this novel food opens new horizons both for the use of crickets as a food ingredient and for the use of extracts for the production of new formulations. In order to achieve this objective, studies regarding safety, biological activity, bioaccessibility, and bioavailability are needed as future perspectives in this field.

Keywords: A. domesticus powder; FT-ICR MS; NMR spectroscopy; SPME-GC-MS; chemical characterization.

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Conflict of interest statement

Author Carlotta Totaro Fila was employed by the company Alia Insect Farm. The company was not involved in the study design, collection, analyses, interpretation of data, the writing of the article, or in the decision to submit it for publication. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The 600 MHz 1H NMR spectrum of A. domesticus hydroalcoholic extract in a 200 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.4)/D2O mixture with 0.4 mM of 3-(trimethylsilyl)-propionic-2,2,3,3-d4 acid sodium salt (TSP).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Metabolite distribution in hydroalcoholic (green) and organic (yellow) extracts shown in a two-way Venn diagram. The results are reported as absolute numbers of total hits.
Figure 3
Figure 3
van Krevelen diagrams (elemental plots) obtained from the molecular formulas achieved through ESI FT-ICR MS analysis of hydroalcoholic (panel (A)) and organic phases (panel (B)) of cricket powder. Homology series along dashed lines, related to the following chemical reactions: (de)hydrogenation (A lines); oxidation or reduction (B lines); (de)hydration and condensation processes (C lines); (de)methylation (D lines), are displayed in panels (C,D) (hydroalcoholic and organic extracts, respectively).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Histograms of the relative frequency of CH, CHN, CHNO, CHNOP, CHNOPS, CHNOS, CHNS, CHO, CHOP, and CHOS compounds in the hydroalcoholic phase (green) and in the organic phase (yellow).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Histograms of relative distribution (mean value of the three analyzed batches ± SD) of specific classes of saturated fatty acids (SFA) obtained through ESI (−) MS analyses of organic Acheta domesticus powder extracts.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Histograms of relative distribution (mean value of the three analyzed batches ± SD) of specific classes of C18 series fatty acids obtained through ESI (−) MS analyses of organic Acheta domesticus powder extracts.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Histogram of relative distribution (mean value of the three analyzed batches ± SD) of essential fatty acids (EFAs) obtained through ESI (−) MS analyses of organic Acheta domesticus powder extracts: linoleic (ω-6) and linolenic acids(ω-3).
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