Abstract
Various strategies are being suggested to solve the challenges in the food system, such as changing the source of nutrients, including the use of non-traditional food sources such as insects. Although insects are promoted as a cheap and sustainable source of protein, consumers are reluctant to eat them. The mycoproteins produced by fungi, on the other hand, are very well received and appreciated by consumers. Thus, in this work we have studied the use of the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) for the production of protein using insects as feed. B. bassiana was cultivated in culture medium containing entire insects from the species Eurysacca and Hypothenemus or single carbon sources such as glucose or laminarin from Laminaria digitata. The results showed that B. bassiana can produce up to 16-fold more biomass and 8-fold more protein when grown in insect-based medium than when grown in glucose. The results also indicated that the production of proteins continuously increased when B. bassiana was grown in medium containing insects, reaching its maximum at 9 days (up to 3 mg/mL). On the other hand, when cultivated in glucose-supplemented medium, the production of proteins was constantly low (~0.5 mg/mL). In conclusion, B. bassiana was a large biomass producer and exuded a large amount of protein when grown in medium containing insect powder, making it an ideal intermediate link between insects and protein. Furthermore, the proteins produced by fungi such as B. bassiana can be used in the food, health, and cosmetic industries.
Highlights
Food production is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, emitting ∼30% of the world total (Rosenzweig et al, 2020)
Studies were conducted on the biomass of B. bassiana to understand the basic aspects of its development and its nutritional requirements to grow and spore in insects-based medium
Other substrates, such as F and PF, had high levels of protein in the exudates, but their protein production stopped or began to decline after 96 h of culture (Figures 3B,C). These results indicate that non-complex nutrient sources such as glucose or laminarin are not sufficient to satisfy the nutritional requirements of B. bassiana
Summary
Food production is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, emitting ∼30% of the world total (Rosenzweig et al, 2020). It is urgent to reduce GHG emissions in the food system (Clark et al, 2020; Lynch et al, 2021). It is urgent to ensure food security and nutrition to avoid inadequate access and availability of safe food. In many regions of the world, high food production costs constitute a barrier in choosing foods that. Protein Production Using Entomopathogenic Fungi meet nutritional requirements. Threatening the health of the most vulnerable groups such as women, children, and the elderly, with the lower-income families choosing foods that do not meet nutritional requirements (Lo et al, 2009; Abdelmenan et al, 2020)
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