Foods enriched with insects can potentially prevent several health disorders, including cardiovascular diseases, by reducing inflammation and improving antioxidant status. In this study, Tenebrio molitor and Gryllus assimilis were selected to determine the effect on the development of atherosclerosis in ApoE/LDLR-/- mice. Animals were fed AIN-93G-based diets (control) with 10% Tenebrio molitor (TM) and 10% Gryllus assimilis (GA) for 8 weeks. The nutritional value as well as antioxidant activity of selected insects were determined. The lipid profile, liver enzyme activity, and the fatty acid composition of liver and adipose tissue of model mice were evaluated. Quantitative analysis of atherosclerotic lesions in the entire aorta was performed using the en face method, and for aortic roots, the cross-section method was used. The antioxidant status of the GA cricket was significantly higher compared to the TM larvae. The results showed that the area of atherosclerosis (en face method) was not significantly different between groups. Dietary GA reduced plaque formation in the aortic root; additionally, significant differences were observed in sections at 200 and 300 µm compared to other groups. Furthermore, liver enzyme ALT activity was lower in insect-fed groups compared to the control group. The finding suggests that a diet containing edible insect GA potentially prevents atherosclerotic plaque development in the aortic root, due to its high antioxidant activity.

• Klíčová slova
• Gryllus assimilis, Tenebrio molitor, antioxidant status, atherosclerosis, fatty acids profile, lipid profile, liver enzymes activity, mouse model,
• MeSH
• antioxidancia metabolismus   MeSH
• aorta patologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• apolipoproteiny E * nedostatek   genetika   MeSH
• aterosklerotický plát patologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• ateroskleróza * patologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• dieta MeSH
• Gryllidae MeSH
• játra metabolismus   patologie   MeSH
• jedlý hmyz MeSH
• krmivo pro zvířata MeSH
• LDL-receptory * genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• myši knockoutované MeSH
• myši MeSH
• Tenebrio MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antioxidancia MeSH
• apolipoproteiny E * MeSH
• LDL-receptory * MeSH

Concerning the increasing population, edible insects are of growing interest due to several advantages such as sustainable production and as a source of high-quality nutrients. One of the less studied nutrients are folates, in the context of insects is folates, which play an important role in human metabolism. In the article, we describe how six different insect species are reared and extracted for five common folate vitamers by high-performance liquid chromatography interfaced with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). For this purpose, house crickets (Acheta domesticus-adults), Jamaican field crickets (Gryllus assimilis-adults), discoid cockroaches (Blaberus discoidalis-nymphs), migratory locusts (Locusta migratoria-adults), mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), and lesser mealworms (Alphitobius diaperinus) were investigated. The total folate content differs between 59.1 ± 6.50 and 143 ± 11.1 μg/100 g. Also, the feed, which was adapted to the needs of the insects and differed for some species, was extracted for their total folate content. The four different feed compositions (rapeseed, chicken feed, bramble leaves, and a mix of chicken feed, wheat bran, and carrot/apples) showed a folate content of about 100 μg/100 g, except for hay, where the content was 300 μg/100 g. In general, the insect folate content is comparable to other food and seems to be a promising source of folates. However, the amount of consumption needed to meet the requirement must also be considered. Moreover, the effect of different influencing factors is not yet entirely clear and needs further investigation.

• Klíčová slova
• LC-MS/MS, edible insects, insect feed, novel food, vitamin B,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

The present study dealt with the influence of temperature and feed on the nutritional value of Tenebrio molitor, especially on the content of crude protein, amino acids, fat, and fatty acid profile. Tenebrio molitor larvae were kept in 15, 20, and 25°C and fed with wheat bran, lentil flour, and mixture. The parameters were analyzed by international standard methods. Generally, with an increase of the lentils in the feed, the crude protein content increased. The changes in the temperature and the feed were most pronounced on the essential amino acids Val, Arg, and Leu. The highest average fat content was determined at 20°C in insects fed with wheat bran. The lowest fat content was determined at 15°C in bran-fed insects. The dependency of fat content on the temperature in feeding with lentil flour and a mixture of wheat bran and lentil flour was statistically insignificant (P > 0.05, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney post hoc tests). The highest content of polyene fatty acids was achieved at a rearing temperature of 15°C and the bran diet. It was concluded that a higher proportion of protein diet could increase the content of crude protein in the insects. An increase in the temperature generally leads only to a slight increase in the content of nitrogenous substances. The influence of feed on this nutritional parameter is therefore much more significant than the effect of the rearing temperature. In general, it can be stated that the feed and the temperature also significantly affect the fat content.

• Klíčová slova
• lentil flour, mealworm, nutritional value, temperature, wheat bran,
• MeSH
• brouci MeSH
• dieta MeSH
• nutriční hodnota MeSH
• Tenebrio růst a vývoj   MeSH
• teplota MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH