Chitin Assessment in Insect-Based Products from Reference Methods to Near-Infrared Models.

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Biochemistry
• Food Science

Background:

• The global insect farming sector is expanding due to demand for sustainable protein.
• Insect meal quality control is crucial for food and feed production.
• Accurate chitin quantification is important for understanding insect meal composition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare gravimetric methods (ADF-ADL, crude fiber) for chitin quantification against a reference enzymatic purification method.
• To evaluate near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for rapid assessment of insect meal quality, including macronutrients and chitin.
• To explore the potential of NIRS for streamlining quality control in the insect industry.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of two gravimetric methods (acid-detergent fiber-acid-detergent lignin and crude fiber estimation) for chitin quantification.
• Utilizing near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to analyze macronutrient (moisture, protein, fat) and chitin content in insect samples.
• Development and validation of NIRS calibration models for insect meal analysis.

Main Results:

• Both gravimetric methods overestimated chitin content compared to the enzymatic purification method.
• NIRS calibration models demonstrated good performance for protein and fat prediction, and satisfactory results for chitin.
• NIRS models show potential for rapid and reliable prediction of insect product quality, with chitin assessment needing further validation.

Conclusions:

• Gravimetric methods offer a simpler, faster alternative for rapid chitin screening when high precision is not essential.
• NIRS holds significant promise for efficient and flexible chemical quality control in the industrial production of insect-based food and feed.
• Further validation of NIRS models for chitin assessment is recommended for full industrial implementation.