Background

Consuming insects as an alternative protein source is considered a future trend and a viable strategy that could potentially contribute to global food security. Insects are a non-conventional source of protein, either for human consumption directly or indirectly as a component in recomposed foods or added to feedstock mixtures. Moreover, these proteins have demonstrated a broad range of applications as peptides with antihypertensive, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. However, aspects such as food safety and processing of these proteins need further studies for their elucidation and optimization.

Scope and Approach

In this review, aspects of nutritional value and risks of insect consumption are reported. Additionally, conventional processing techniques and recent advances in insect protein extraction and production are presented. The application of bioactive peptides obtained from insect protein hydrolysates is reported, focusing on their potential antihypertensive, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.

Key Findings and Conclusions

Insect proteins have great advantages in terms of nutritional value, total protein level and amino acid profile. However, some safety concerns must be taken into consideration in large-scale production. The conventional processing of insects proteins is very particular, depending on several aspects such as species, larval stage, and cultivation, among others. Nonetheless, recent advances in insect protein production via enzymatic hydrolysis and heterologous expression have shown a promising technology for the study and exploitation of their bioactive properties, such as the antimicrobial, antioxidant and antihypertensive (inhibition of ACE) activity of insect peptides.

中文翻译：

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昆虫蛋白的营养，功能和生物学特性：获得，消费和未来挑战的过程

背景

食用昆虫作为蛋白质的替代来源被认为是未来的趋势，也是一项可行的战略，可能对全球粮食安全作出贡献。昆虫是非常规的蛋白质来源，可直接或间接作为重组食品的成分或添加到原料混合物中供人类食用。此外，这些蛋白质作为具有抗高血压，抗微生物和抗氧化特性的肽已被证明具有广泛的用途。但是，食品安全性和这些蛋白质的加工等方面需要进一步研究以阐明和优化。

范围和方法

在这篇综述中，报告了营养价值和食用昆虫的风险。此外，还介绍了常规加工技术以及昆虫蛋白提取和生产的最新进展。据报道，从昆虫蛋白水解物中获得的生物活性肽的应用，着重于其潜在的降压，抗菌和抗氧化特性。

主要发现和结论

昆虫蛋白在营养价值，总蛋白水平和氨基酸谱方面具有很大的优势。但是，在大规模生产中必须考虑一些安全问题。昆虫蛋白的常规加工非常特殊，具体取决于几个方面，例如物种，幼虫阶段和栽培。但是，通过酶促水解和异源表达在昆虫蛋白生产中的最新进展显示出了一种有前途的技术，用于研究和开发其生物活性，例如昆虫肽的抗微生物，抗氧化剂和抗高血压（抑制ACE活性）。