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Insects
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Insects and Their Derivatives for Human Practical Uses (Volume II)
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Insects and Their Derivatives for Human Practical Uses (Volume II)

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 5875

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Patrizia Falabella

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Interests: insect immunity; molecular bases of host-parasitoid interaction; molecular bases of insect olfactive perception; bioconversion processes by Hermetia illucens; insects as source of antimicrobial peptides
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Carmen Scieuzo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Interests: host-parasitoid interactions; proteins, chitin and lipids from insects; insect olfactory perception

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Insect culture has some environmental advantages compared to other forms of animal production; as such, insects are currently considered part of the circular economy. Nevertheless, the use of insects has not yet been widely adopted by humans. Insects have been proposed as a source of protein and valuable fatty acids, and chitin has been described as a probiotic and as suitable for use in recyclable containers. Insects are also useful in medical therapies.

This Special Issue of Insects aims to present multidisciplinary approaches to the use of insects and their derivatives for human purposes, such as for nutritional, medical and legal purposes, in rearing systems, for food safety, and as environmental markers.

Considering the success of our previous Special Issue "Insects and Their Derivatives for Human Practical Uses", we are pleased to launch Insects and Their Derivatives for Human Practical Uses (Volume II). Both original submissions and reviews will be considered for publication.

Prof. Dr. Patrizia Falabella
Dr. Carmen Scieuzo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • amino acids
  • bioactivities
  • chitin
  • fatty acids
  • insect use
  • insect culture
  • legal status
  • nutritive value
  • probiotic

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1471 KiB  
Article
Dactylopius opuntiae [Cockerell] Could Be a Source of Antioxidants for the Preservation of Beef Patties
by Othoniel H. Aragon-Martinez, Flavio Martinez-Morales, Marco M. González-Chávez, Santiago de J. Méndez-Gallegos, Rodolfo González-Chávez, Juan C. Posadas-Hurtado and Mario A. Isiordia-Espinoza
Insects 2023, 14(10), 811; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14100811 - 13 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1214
Abstract
Dactylopius opuntiae is an insect pest that contains at least carminic acid, which has antioxidant properties. Since there is a relationship between the antioxidant ability and preservative action of compounds applied to meat products, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the [...] Read more.
Dactylopius opuntiae is an insect pest that contains at least carminic acid, which has antioxidant properties. Since there is a relationship between the antioxidant ability and preservative action of compounds applied to meat products, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity and usefulness of a D. opuntiae extract for beef patty preservation. The insects were bred and processed to obtain a liquid extract. For the extract, its carminic acid content, antioxidant activity against two free radicals, and actions on food quality parameters were determined. The D. opuntiae dry powder contained 2.91% w/w carminic acid, while the liquid extract exhibited an IC50 value of 3437.8 ± 67.8 and 19633.0 ± 674.5 µg/mL against the DPPH and ABTS radicals. Nevertheless, these antioxidant actions were lower than those found in a D. coccus extract. The D. opuntiae extract improved in a short time the redness and yellowness, eliminated the unfavorable effect of their vehicle on the MetMb level, and greatly reduced the TBARS formation. For the first time, an extract of D. opuntiae was applied to beef patties, and its beneficial antioxidant action on meat acceptance parameters was confirmed, which has potential commercial applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insects and Their Derivatives for Human Practical Uses (Volume II))
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21 pages, 2074 KiB  
Article
Nudging Consumer Behavior with Social Marketing in Portugal: Can Perception Have an Influence over Trying Insect-Based Food?
by Rocsana Bucea-Manea-Țoniș, Oliva M. D. Martins, Laura Urdeș, Ana Sofia Coelho and Violeta-Elena Simion
Insects 2023, 14(6), 547; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14060547 - 12 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1654
Abstract
Social marketing campaigns are widely used to inform, educate, communicate, and promote healthy behaviors that add benefits to the individual, but also to society and the environment. Considering the low cost and high quality of insect-based food, this research aims to identify the [...] Read more.
Social marketing campaigns are widely used to inform, educate, communicate, and promote healthy behaviors that add benefits to the individual, but also to society and the environment. Considering the low cost and high quality of insect-based food, this research aims to identify the main factors which can be used by social marketing campaigns to help people to try new foods, such as insect-based food. Although it is considered an important alternative to protein, there are a few countries that have not experienced it. In many Western countries, insect-based food is perceived as being disgusting. Neophobia is also a barrier to trying these foods. The main goal is to analyze if social marketing campaigns might influence perception (familiarity, preparation, visual, and information). Our model proves this assumption because we obtained high path coefficients, indicating that perception influences social beliefs, individual beliefs, and consumption intention. Thus, they will increase the consumption intention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insects and Their Derivatives for Human Practical Uses (Volume II))
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16 pages, 5785 KiB  
Article
In Vitro Evaluation of the Antibacterial Activity of the Peptide Fractions Extracted from the Hemolymph of Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)
by Carmen Scieuzo, Fabiana Giglio, Roberta Rinaldi, Marilena E. Lekka, Flora Cozzolino, Vittoria Monaco, Maria Monti, Rosanna Salvia and Patrizia Falabella
Insects 2023, 14(5), 464; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14050464 - 15 May 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2377
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a chemically and structurally heterogeneous family of molecules produced by a large variety of living organisms, whose expression is predominant in the sites most exposed to microbial invasion. One of the richest natural sources of AMPs is insects which, [...] Read more.
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a chemically and structurally heterogeneous family of molecules produced by a large variety of living organisms, whose expression is predominant in the sites most exposed to microbial invasion. One of the richest natural sources of AMPs is insects which, over the course of their very long evolutionary history, have adapted to numerous and different habitats by developing a powerful innate immune system that has allowed them to survive but also to assert themselves in the new environment. Recently, due to the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, interest in AMPs has risen. In this work, we detected AMPs in the hemolymph of Hermetia illucens (Diptera, Stratiomyidae) larvae, following infection with Escherichia coli (Gram negative) or Micrococcus flavus (Gram positive) and from uninfected larvae. Peptide component, isolated via organic solvent precipitation, was analyzed by microbiological techniques. Subsequent mass spectrometry analysis allowed us to specifically identify peptides expressed in basal condition and peptides differentially expressed after bacterial challenge. We identified 33 AMPs in all the analyzed samples, of which 13 are specifically stimulated by Gram negative and/or Gram positive bacterial challenge. AMPs mostly expressed after bacterial challenge could be responsible for a more specific activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insects and Their Derivatives for Human Practical Uses (Volume II))
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