Extracts from defatted flour of insect larvae (Tenebrio molitor L.) obtained via Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE): investigation of extract composition and chitin removal from flour to explore new applications

• Grant number: 25/12391-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2025
• End date: October 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Alessandra Lopes de Oliveira
• Grantee: Sophia Kimie Sasaki
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

With the increasing global population and declining food sources, the use of insects is becoming more common in both animal and human nutrition, as they contain significant amounts of proteins, amino acids, lipids, and bioactive compounds. This project aims to analyze the compounds present in the ethanol extract obtained by pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) of meal from Tenebrio molitor L. larvae using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), focusing on the identification of previously unknown compounds in this extract. Considering that the extract obtained with pressurized ethanol via PLE (Pressurized Liquid Extraction) was highly viscous, the extraction of chitin from the meal and its presence in the extracts will be investigated. If glucosamine is found in the extracts, this compound will be monitored and used to determine the amount of chitin that potentially migrates from the larvae meal to the extract obtained by PLE. The presence of chitin in the extract will indicate that PLE with pressurized ethanol may be an innovative method for removing this polysaccharide from insect larvae meal. Furthermore, chitin will be quantified in Tenebrio molitor L. larvae meal before and after PLE extraction. (AU)