• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.558-566
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• 2018

This study examined the consumers' perception of edible insect foods and carried out importance-satisfaction research on the choice attributes of edible insect foods. Through this, the potential of food materials as future food resources was evaluated and foundational data was provided to devise marketing strategies required to develop products made from edible insect foods. According to the results, females had more information on edible insect foods than males (p<0.05), and males gained higher points in trying new foods (p<0.001), overall satisfaction (p<0.001), and purchase intention (p<0.01) than females. Both importance (p<0.05) and satisfaction (p<0.001) about the mean of the choice attributes of edible insects were higher in males than females. The sustenance area showed high importance and high satisfaction, including taste, smell, freshness, sanitation, safety, and shelf-life. Accordingly, to understand edible insect foods properly, it is important to deliver information constantly and publicize them aggressively. In addition, it is necessary to develop various kinds of food made from edible insect foods and functional foods utilizing their nutritive value.

• Food Science and Industry
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.31-39
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• 2016

The reasons for selecting insects as future food are high growth and feed conversion rates, reproduce quickly, low environmental footprint, valuable source of nutrients, and source of a various undeveloped functional materials. Since 2014, Tenebrio molitor larva, Protaetia brevitarsis larva, Allomyrina dichotoma larva, and Gryllus bimaculatus were registered as new food in Korea because it has been scientifically proven that they are not harmful to eat and nutritious. Therefore they can be legally produced and sold as food. Accordingly, there are 7 species of edible insects including grasshopper, silkworm pupa, and Baekgangjam in Korea. To improve aversion to edible insects, using their powder, chop, and gravy hidden their morphology, we developed more than 100 different kinds of recipes for general food menu, held several times tasting events to be familiar with edible insect food, and published cookbooks. Moreover, we developed more than 50 kinds of recipes for patients. To eat the insect food more and more people, we have been analyzed various function of insects. If health food based on the results of functional analysis is developed, edible insect's value will be raised. If various insect foods are developed and consumed by people, edible insect market will grow up more than 100 billion won in 2020.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.137-149
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• 2022

The purpose of this paper was to analyze domestic patents for food using edible insects. From January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2021, patents filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office were searched, and a total of 242 valid patents were selected. The trend of Korean patent applications for edible insect food has increased since 2015, with 57 cases (the highest number) in 2017. As for the edible insects used in food, Bombyx mori L. were the most common with 127 cases, followed by Tenebrio molitor L. with 118 cases. By type of applicant, individuals accounted for the most, with 132 cases. As a result of grouping patents by food classification, 67 cases of edible insects were used in snacks, breads, and rice cakes. As a result of patent analysis, an effort was made to supplement insufficient nutrients by adding nutritionally excellent edible insects to existing foods, and efforts were made to improve the sensory properties of insect foods. It is expected that this study will contribute to establishing future R&D directions and patent application strategies related to edible insect food.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.372-388
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• 2022

Insects have long been consumed by humans as a supplemental protein source, and interest in entomophagy has rapidly increased in recent years as a potential sustainable resource in the face of environmental challenges and global food shortages. However, food neophobia inhibits the widespread consumption of edible insects, despite their high nutritional and functional value. The own characteristics of edible insect protein such as foaming properties, emulsifying properties, gelling properties and essential amino acid ratio can be improved by drying, defatting, and extraction. Although nutritional value of some protein-enriched bread, pasta, and meat products, especially essential amino acid components was increased, replacement of conventional food with edible insects as a novel food source has been hindered owing to the poor cross-linking properties of edible insect protein. This deterioration in physicochemical properties may further limit the applicability of edible insects as food. Therefore, strategies must be developed to improve the quality of edible insect enriched food with physical, chemical, and biological methods. It was presented that an overview of the recent advancements in these approaches and highlight the challenges and prospects for this field. Applying these strategies to develop insect food in a more familiar form can help to make insect-enriched foods more appealing to consumers, facilitating their widespread consumption as a sustainable and nutritious protein source.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.63 no.2
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• pp.417-425
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• 2021

The use of edible insects to replace meat protein is important to ensure future global food security. However, processed foods using edible insects require development to enhance consumer perception. Here, we examined the physicochemical characteristics and rheological properties of emulsions prepared from different edible insect larvae. Three edible insect species (Tenebrio molitor, Allomyrina dichotoma and Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis) were used to prepare larval emulsions that were formulated with 65% of insect larvae, 20% of pork back fat, and 15% ice. The A. dichotoma emulsion had the highest pH and lightness, redness, and yellowness values, while the T. molitor emulsion had the lowest pH and lightness, redness, and yellowness values. The T. molitor emulsion had the highest hardness, gumminess, chewiness, and apparent viscosity values but the lowest springiness and cohesiveness values. According to the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis, T. molitor had the thickest bands, followed by P. brevitarsis seulensis. The differential scanning calorimetry distributions for the T. molitor and A. dichotoma emulsions showed one peak, while that of the P. brevitarsis seulensis emulsion had two peaks. The collective results suggest that T. molitor was the most suitable candidate (of the three tested species) for use as a meat replacement in terms of its physicochemical and rheological properties. It is important that such properties of insect-based emulsions are maintained using various technologies.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.83-89
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• 2023

This study presents basic data that can be easily used in the field of cooking about edible insects which are future food and alternative food by investigating the perception of edible insects among culinary majors, who are potential consumers who can improve the utilization of edible insects. As a result, 79.0% of all subjects responded that they have heard of edible insects, and the methods of obtaining information on edible insects were 'friends, colleagues, family members, etc.' 76.8% had the experience of purchasing edible insects, and 71.9% of them purchased 'online' as the purchase method. The reason for purchasing edible insects was 'curiosity', and the purchase of edible insects in the form of 'food or food added' was the highest. In the future, 70.1% are willing to use edible insects, and in particular, the intention to participate in the 'development of new products using edible insects' was the highest. Therefore, in order to improve the utilization and consumption promotion of edible insects, which are emerging as future food resources, it is necessary to develop a multifaceted plan to improve the awareness of edible insects for university students majoring in cooking and to develop educational programs for developing various menus.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.643-654
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• 2019

The amino acid composition, protein quality, and protein functionality of protein solution extracted from three edible insect species were investigated. We used 0.02% ascorbic acid and 0.58 M saline solution to extract water-soluble and salt-soluble proteins from the three insect species. Extracted protein solutions of Tenebrio molitor (TM), Allomyrina dichotoma (AD), and Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis (PB) were divided into six groups, according to species and solubility: WTM, WAD, WPB (water-soluble), and STM, SAD, and SPB (salt-soluble). Defatted TM had the highest protein content, but its protein solubility was the lowest, for both water and saline solutions. Amino acid composition differed by edible insect species and buffer type; SPB had the highest protein quality, followed by WPB. PB had a higher pH than the other species. Color values also differed among species. SPB had abundant high molecular weight proteins, compared with other treatments; and also had the highest foaming capacity, foam stability, and emulsifying capacity. In conclusion, PB is a good source of functional protein compared with the other studied species. Additionally, protein extraction using saline solution is promising as a useful method for improving edible insect protein functionality.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.185-195
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• 2021

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of high pressure to investigate the technical functional properties of the protein solution extracted from an edible insect, Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis. High pressure processing was performed at 0 (control), 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 MPa at 35℃. The essential amino acid index of the control was lower (p<0.05) than that of the P. brevitarsis seulensis extract treated with 100 MPa. The SDS-PAGE patterns tended to become faint at approximately 75 kDa and thicker at approximately 37 KDa after high pressure treatment. The protein solubility and pH of the protein tended to increase as the hydrostatic pressure levels increased. The instrument color values (redness and yellowness) of the P. brevitarsis seulensis protein treated with high pressure were lower (p<0.05) than those of the control. The forming capacity of the protein solution with P. brevitarsis seulensis treated with high pressure was higher (p<0.05) than that of the control. In conclusion, we confirmed that the technical functional properties of edible insect proteins extracted under high pressure of 200 MPa are improved. Our results indicate that high pressure can improve the technical functional properties of proteins from edible insects.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.702-707
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• 2017

Insects and their extract have been traditionally used as medicinal resources in Asia. Recently, Gryllus bimaculatus and the larva of Tenebrio molitor, Protaetia brevitarsis, and Allomyrina dichotoma were enlisted as general food ingredients by Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. As the interest in these insects is growing, the detailed investigation is needed for the standardization of suitable and safe rearing techniques. This survey was conducted via personal interviews about edible insect rearing farms in Korea. The basic feed is fermented oak sawdust for P. brevitarsis and A. dichotoma and wheat bran for T. molitor. The various feed additives are blended with each farm's own recipes. The overall growth condition, including sawdust fermentation method, feeding period, and rearing density, varies among the investigated farms. It seems that weight of last instar larva was correlated with the rearing density and duration of the larval period. The heavy metal contents were analyzed after 48 hour starvation and they were very small amount or not detected in investigated insects. We believe that the present data will contribute to develop and standardize the safe rearing techniques of edible insects in Korea.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.493-502
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• 2021

We examined American consumers' perceptions and attitudes toward edible insect-based pet food. In this study, 16 Americans in Korea who owned dogs were categorized into two groups, and focus-group discussions were conducted under three conditions. First, we observed the free association perception of edible insect-based pet food, and attitudes were analyzed after providing a newspaper article related to it. Finally, consumer attitude was examined in the context of purchasing. The study found that the participants had high awareness of the eco-friendliness of edible insects and showed a positive attitude toward news articles related to it. However, when it came to purchasing, they considered nutritional and health functional values compared to environmental values. Meanwhile, the rejection of insects was nevertheless the most important negative factor in pet food, as in general food. The results are significant in confirming the possibility of using insect-based pet food by examining the perceptions and attitudes toward the environmental, nutritional, and health functional values of edible insects under three conditions for American consumers.