Ade Chandra Iwansyah, Dhifa Azzahra, Dian Widya Ningtyas, Dita Kristanti, Igm Raka Alpin Aditya, Eny Palupi, Hazrulrizawati Abd Hamid
Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) is a potential approach for altering the protein structure and reducing allergenicity levels of edible insect-based food ingredients. This experiment examined the effects of treatment time (5, 15 and 30 min) and ultrasonic frequency (20 and 35 kHz) on the nutritional composition, antioxidant activity, microstructure, protein profile, and allergen content of Javanese grasshopper (Valanga nigricornis) flour. Findings revealed a significant impact of the UAE on protein solubility and structure, including a lower level of allergenic bands (37-93 kDa), specifically tropomyosin, as determined by SDS-PAGE analysis. ELISA validated that UAE decreased tropomyosin by 32.47-50.22%. at 20 kHz to 30 min. Scanning electron microscopy revealed disrupted and porous microstructures resulting from cavitation-induced shear forces. The increase in antioxidant activity was also achieved by exposing radical-scavenging amino acid residues to ultrasound. However, excessive sonication exposure (35 kHz, 30 min) resulted in allergen detection at higher levels because of epitope exposure/aggregation. Overall, the UAE successfully decreased the allergen content and increased the functional properties of insect flour. These results demonstrate the ability of the ultrasonic processing method to enhance the safety and acceptability of insect-based ingredients in foods. © Ade Chandra Iwansyah et al., 2025. Published with license by Koninklijke Brill BV. This work is published by Koninklijke Brill BV. Koninklijke Brill bv incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Nijhoff, Brill Schöningh, Brill Fink, Brill mentis, Brill Wageningen Academic, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Böhlau and V&R unipress. Koninklijke Brill BV reserves the right to protect the publication against unauthorized use and to authorize dissemination by means of offprints, legitimate photocopies, microform editions, reprints, translations, and secondary information sources, such as abstracting and indexing services including databases. Requests for commercial re-use, use of parts of the publication, and/or translations must be addressed to Koninklijke Brill BV.
Research Center for Food Technology and Processing, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jl. Jogja-Wonosari km 31.5 Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta, 55861, Indonesia; Departement of Food Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Brawijaya University, Jl. Veteran, Ketawanggede, East Java, 65145, Indonesia; Department of Nutrition Science, Faculty of Human Ecology, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia; Faculty of Industrial Sciences and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, Lbh Tun Khalil Yaakob, Kuantan, Gambang, 26300, Malaysia
