Tenebrio molitor powder: an analysis of the techniques for the production of powder at an industrial level

Abstract

The increase in the world’s population has been an issue for several years as the food industry struggles to provide the necessary solutions to meet future food demand. As a result, the industry has been looking for new and innovative ways to produce and provide sustainable and ecological solutions to meet future demands. The most obvious solution is the production, commercialisation, and acceptance of insects in the European market, as the species,Tenebrio molitor is one of the most promising novel foods to enter the market. In this study, we found that the blanching time had no effect on the organoleptic properties of the larvae and that after blanching there was an absorption of about 37% compared to the initial weight. We also confirmed that the binomial time/temperature in the dehydration process is extremely important for the product’s organoleptic properties, as the powder exhibited a lighter shade at 40 °C/22 h. We also discovered that the powder is the best way to go when it comes to product quality because dehydration of the whole larvae does not correspond to powder quality. We conclude that there are several issues to consider when scaling production facilities for a sustainable business model before taking this critical step. The increase in larval body weight after blanching presents some technical challenges as the capacity of the dehydrator decreases and an internal assessment must be performed to maximise production. The blanching time undoubtedly does not affect the colour of the larvae, which means that it is possible to drastically reduce the time of this particular process and accelerate the conversion process of the larvae into powder. Dehydration is the most important step in the whole industrial process, as it most affects the organoleptic proprieties of the final product, the powder.