Abstract
In this study, six commercial meat starters, each consisting of a pure strain of a lactic acid-fermenting bacterium (including Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus curvatus, L. farciminis, L. plantarum, L. sakei, and Pediococcus acidilactici), were tested for their ability to ferment a paste produced from the yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor). During fermentation, microbial counts, pH, and the bacterial community composition were determined. In addition, UPLC-MS was applied to monitor the consumption of glucose and the production of glutamic (Glu) and aspartic (Asp) acid. All tested starters were able to ferment the mealworm paste, judged by a pH reduction from 6.68 to 4.60–4.95 within 72 h. Illumina amplicon sequencing showed that all starters were able to colonize the substrate efficiently. Moreover, the introduction of the starter cultures led to the disappearance of Bacillus and Clostridium species, which were the dominant microorganisms in un-inoculated samples. Of the six cultures tested, Lactobacillus farciminis was most promising as its application resulted in the largest increase (±25 mg/100 g of paste) in the content of free glutamic and aspartic acid. These amino acids are responsible for the appreciated umami flavour in fermented food products and might stimulate the acceptance of insects and their consumption.
Highlights
Interest exists in the introduction of insects in the Western food pattern, but a number of hurdles prevent the large scale use of insects in foods
It is possible that shelf life can be improved if the pH can be reduced sufficiently and fast enough by fermentation to prevent spoilage organisms from growing, and that taste can be intensified by the generation of specific amino acids yielding a desired taste, such as glutamic acid (Glu) and aspartic acid (Asp) responsible for the umami taste [6,7]
The results presented in this paper showed that all tested starter cultures were able to ferment pulverized mealworms
Summary
Interest exists in the introduction of insects in the Western food pattern, but a number of hurdles prevent the large scale use of insects in foods. Insects and insect-based matrices show the problem that their shelf life is limited. The taste of insects is not very distinct and does not (yet) convince a large number of consumers to regularly purchase and eat insects or insect-based foods [2,3,4,5]. In the same way as for traditional meat sources, fermentation may present a technology to improve both shelf life and taste of insects. Introducing the umami taste in insect-derived food products or edible food components might stimulate their acceptance and consumption, because this taste is well appreciated in the meat consuming Western culture
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