Acheta Domesticus - Novel food ingredient: influence on cereal products quality and aclylamide content

In some countries, the use of insects as food is traditional. However, in Europe, this alternative source of nutrients is still new, and consumers react differently to this offer. With the regulation of some raw materials prepared from insects in Europe, a need has arisen for their adaptation in the food industry. Today it is important to understand that consumers in Europe are not ready to choose insects as a main food source. However, the inclusion of raw materials prepared from insects into traditional food product formulas could be promising. Despite the fact that raw materials prepared from insects are considered to be of high biological value, when incorporating them into traditional food formulas, it is important to control not only the nutritional value and sensory properties of the final product, but also to anticipate what undesirable changes may occur during technological processes. One of such undesirable phenomena could be the assumption that enriching cereal products with raw materials high in protein might influence changes in the concentration of Maillard reaction products. We decided to start our research with an assessment of the acceptability of newly proposed raw materials – insects - by consumers. In the following stages, Acheta domesticus flour (unfermented and fermented with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum No. 122 and Lacticaseibacillus casei No. 210 strains) was used to enrich bread and biscuits, and their impact on product quality parameters and acrylamide concentration was assessed. Additionally, various parameters of unfermented and fermented Acheta domesticus flour were evaluated (pH, lactic acid bacteria count, color coordinates, fatty acid, volatile compound, and biogenic amine concentration). The tested product groups were prepared by adding to the main recipe different quantities of unfermented and fermented Acheta domesticus flour (into the main wheat bread formula - 10, 20, 30%; into the main biscuits formula (280 g of wheat flour, 100 g of margarine, 50 g of saccharose, 3 g of ...