Influence of grasshopper (Locusta Migratoria) and mealworm (Tenebrio Molitor) powders on the quality characteristics of protein rich muffins: nutritional, physicochemical, textural and sensory aspects

Insects are the most common animal group in the world and they constitute about 80% of the animal kingdom. Today, around 1600 insect species have been consumed by humans. The aim of this study was to explore the potential use of edible insect flours for the production of protein rich muffins. Proximate composition and sensory quality of muffins were also explored. The protein and fat content of resulting muffins were effectively improved. While grasshopper powder provided 12.91 +/- 0.40% protein content, mealworm powder enhancement obtained 36.56 +/- 1.26% fat content compared with control (p <= 0.05). Physical properties of resulting muffins were also investigated. GR-M sample presented the highest baking yield of 88.66 +/- 0.58%. On the other hand, fortification with edible insect powders led to have denser structures with the lower specific volume than the control; incorporation of 15% with mealworm powder obtained the lowest specific volume (1.14 +/- 0.02 cm(3)/g). As regard to textural parameters, inclusion of edible insect flours also affected the textural properties; muffins fortified with grasshopper powder showed a significantly (p <= 0.05) softer crumb with lower springiness, cohesiveness and chewiness while no significant differences (p > 0.05) in all textural properties except cohesiveness and adhesiveness between used insect types were observed. Sensory characteristics revealed that fortification of wheat flour by mealworm powder provided a muffin with liking score ranged from 6.70 to 8.70 for all attributes tested, therefore, indicating that mealworm powder could be an effective ingredient in increasing nutritional value of bakery products.