| Summary: | The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been estimating the potential of insects as human food since 2010, and for this reason, <i>Tenebrio molitor</i> larvae, also called mealworms, have been explored as an alternative protein source for various foods. In this study, in order to increase nutrient contents and improve preference as an alternative protein source, we fermented the <i>T. molitor</i> larvae by <i>Cordyceps militaris</i> mycelia. <i>T. molitor</i> larvae were prepared at optimal conditions for fermentation and fermented with <i>C. militaris</i> mycelia, and we analyzed <i>T. molitor</i> larvae change in functionality with proximate composition, β-glucan, cordycepin, adenosine, and free amino acids content. <i>T. molitor</i> larvae fermented by <i>C. militaris</i> mycelia showed higher total protein, total fiber, and β-glucan content than the unfermented larvae. In addition, the highest cordycepin content (13.75 mg/g) was observed in shaded dried <i>T. molitor</i> larvae fermented by <i>C. militaris</i> mycelia. Additionally, the isolated cordycepin from fermented <i>T. molitor</i> larvae showed similar cytotoxicity as standard cordycepin when treated with PC-9 cells. Therefore, we report that the optimized methods of <i>T. molitor</i> larvae fermented by <i>C. militaris</i> mycelia increase total protein, total fiber, β-glucan and produce the amount of cordycepin content, which can be contributed to healthy food and increase <i>T. molitor</i> larvae utilization.
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