The United Nations projects that by 2030 the population will grow to 8.6 billion and by 2050 we will be about 9.8 billion people. This population growth combined with environmental pressure leads to the search for alternatives for human food. In this way, insects emerge as a nutritionally rich and promising food. Currently, in Europe, it is already allowed the commercialization of products with the incorporation of Tenebrio molitor (TM) and Acheta domesticus (AD) flour, which essentially aim the nutritional valorization of the final product. However, insects have functional properties, such as emulsifying and stabilizing capacity, that can be applied to food products such as mayonnaise. Thus, the aim of this work was to evaluate the potential of TM and AD flours as emulsifying and stabilizing agents in emulsions with 25% oil, followed by the formulation and prototyping of mayonnaises with 25% oil and incorporation of the percentages of TM and AD flour which made it possible to replace the whole egg yolk or part of it. To this end, the impact of different concentrations of AD and TM flour (3%, 5% and 7%) and the presence of 0.25% of xanthan gum on the rheological properties, microstructure, and stability of the emulsions over 48 hours were completed. The formulations were compared with the standard, one mayonnaise with 25% oil and 0.25% xanthan gum, emulsified with egg yolk and 1% salt. The formulations performed with the addition of xanthan gum remained stable for a longer time, and it was the addition of 3% of AD with xanthan gum where the rheological behavior was more like the standard. Microscopic analysis revealed that all samples had polydisperse droplets and interspatial spaces superior to the standard. The percentages of insect with the best performance, namely 3% of TM and 3% of AD, were selected for incorporation in a chipotle mayonnaise. The formulations were compared with the standard, a chipotle mayonnaise containing 25% oil, emulsified with egg yolk and stabilized with modified starch. Insect flours were added with emulsifying starch or yolk since the flours alone did not guarantee the long-term stability of the emulsion. Chipotle mayonnaise performed with TM or AD and emulsifying starch did not remain stable after 24 hours. The application of heat treatment to these samples had a positive impact on the stability of the emulsions, especially mayonnaise with AD (ADat) whose physicochemical parameters did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) from the standard. The formulation with AD flour and yolk (ADg) had a rheological behavior like the standard and the physicochemical parameters did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) from each other. The mayonnaise ADg and ADat had a microstructure like the standard although AD had bigger droplet oil. The color analysis of the mayonnaises showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in relation to the standard, which resulted from the addition of AD flour. The sensory analysis revealed a good acceptance of the ADg sample. The incorporation of AD flour in mayonnaise tripled the amount of protein and increased the mineral content in the product.
Date of Award | 4 Oct 2023 |
---|
Original language | Portuguese |
---|
Awarding Institution | - Universidade Católica Portuguesa
|
---|
Supervisor | Maria João Nepomuceno P. Monteiro Palermo de Faria (Supervisor) |
---|
- Insects
- Tenebrio molitor
- Acheta domesticus
- Emulsion
- Function property
- Mestrado em Engenharia Alimentar
Estudo das propriedades emulsionantes das farinhas de inseto de tenebrio molitor e de acheta domesticus e desenvolvimento de uma maionese
Camacho, E. I. B. G. (Student). 4 Oct 2023
Student thesis: Master's Thesis