Caracterização nutricional de larvas de Pachymerus nucleorum F. E Tenebrio molitor L. alimentadas com Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd

Abstract

The consumption of insects as food is culturally practiced in various regions of the world. In Brazil, there were more than 130 species of edible insects, belonging to nine orders, among which stands out Coleoptera. In this order, we highlight Tenebrio molitor and Pachymerus nucleorum. The information that the bocaiuva’s kernel is parasitized by larvae of P. nucleorum motivated to develop the first manuscript, raising the hypothesis that these larvae can present nutritional potential equal to or higher than its fruits. The results of the study showed that the proteins are the second largest portion of the nutritional composition P. nucleorum larvae (33,13%), higher than the bocaiuva’s kernel (14,21%). Also notable was the high fat larvae (37,87%), very close to the kernel (44,96%). The oil extracted from larvae, the corresponding fraction of the saturated fatty acids was 40,17% and 46,52% unsaturated. The antioxidant activity conducted by ABTS (2, 2'-3-azinobis ethylbenzothiazoline 6-sulfonic acid) method, found value of 24,3uM trolox/g oil. The tryptic activity of larvae was 0,032 + 0,006nmol BAPNA/min. The larvae and bocaiuva’s kernel presented absence of anti-nutritional factors. These results favor the use of P. nucleorum larvae as food, with great protein and lipid source with considerable concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids in relation to the kernel of bocaiuva. Therefore, it was decided to develop artificial diets with added bocaiuva for feeding T. molitor to determine the chemical composition of larvae reared on different diets, leading to the second article. The T. molitor larvae were analyzed for their nutritional composition, fatty acid composition, antioxidant activity, trypsin activity and anti-nutritional factors. The results show that the T. molitor larvae reared on an artificial diet with bocaiuva are good protein source (44,83%) and lipid (40,45%), compared to conventional meats and show significant levels of unsaturated fatty acids (65,99%). Antioxidant activity was 4,5uM trolox/g oil. The tryptic activity of larvae was 0,144+0,003nmol BAPNA/min. The larvae showed no anti-nutritional factors. From these results it was concluded that it is possible to create T. molitor on artificial diet with added bocaiuva flour without compromising the nutritional quality of T. molitor, demonstrating that larvae reared on artificial diets can be a highly nutritious food resource.