Monitoring Yellow Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>) as a Potential Novel Allergenic Food: Effect of Food Processing and Matrix
The consumption of insects has increased in western countries, raising concerns about their potential to induce food allergic reactions in sensitized/allergic individuals. This work intended to develop a real-time PCR approach for the detection/quantification of yellow mealworm (<i>Tenebrio mo...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/3/482 |
| _version_ | 1797623640394563584 |
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| author | Caterina Villa Mónica B. M. V. Moura Carla S. S. Teixeira Joana Costa Isabel Mafra |
| author_facet | Caterina Villa Mónica B. M. V. Moura Carla S. S. Teixeira Joana Costa Isabel Mafra |
| author_sort | Caterina Villa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The consumption of insects has increased in western countries, raising concerns about their potential to induce food allergic reactions in sensitized/allergic individuals. This work intended to develop a real-time PCR approach for the detection/quantification of yellow mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>) as a potential allergenic food in complex matrices. For this purpose, reference mixtures simulating the production of pork sausages and wheat biscuits containing known amounts of mealworm were used. Real-time PCR with TaqMan probe targeting the cytochrome b gene of <i>T. molitor</i> was able to detect up to 2 fg of insect DNA, and 1.0 and 0.1 mg/kg of mealworm flour in autoclaved sausages and baked biscuits, respectively. Generally, the method showed acceptable analytical performance parameters, confirming its suitability/applicability for a wide range of foods. However, real-time PCR data showed significant differences among food matrix and processing, highlighting the importance of using appropriate calibration models for quantitative analysis. Finally, the real-time PCR approach was successfully validated with blind mixtures and applied to commercial samples, demonstrating its efficacy and reliability in the quantification of mealworm in processed foodstuffs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:31:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ca8427fdcc5941eca652f840d3447045 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:31:46Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-ca8427fdcc5941eca652f840d34470452023-11-16T17:37:32ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432023-01-0115348210.3390/nu15030482Monitoring Yellow Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>) as a Potential Novel Allergenic Food: Effect of Food Processing and MatrixCaterina Villa0Mónica B. M. V. Moura1Carla S. S. Teixeira2Joana Costa3Isabel Mafra4REQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, PortugalREQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, PortugalREQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, PortugalREQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, PortugalREQUIMTE-LAQV, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, PortugalThe consumption of insects has increased in western countries, raising concerns about their potential to induce food allergic reactions in sensitized/allergic individuals. This work intended to develop a real-time PCR approach for the detection/quantification of yellow mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>) as a potential allergenic food in complex matrices. For this purpose, reference mixtures simulating the production of pork sausages and wheat biscuits containing known amounts of mealworm were used. Real-time PCR with TaqMan probe targeting the cytochrome b gene of <i>T. molitor</i> was able to detect up to 2 fg of insect DNA, and 1.0 and 0.1 mg/kg of mealworm flour in autoclaved sausages and baked biscuits, respectively. Generally, the method showed acceptable analytical performance parameters, confirming its suitability/applicability for a wide range of foods. However, real-time PCR data showed significant differences among food matrix and processing, highlighting the importance of using appropriate calibration models for quantitative analysis. Finally, the real-time PCR approach was successfully validated with blind mixtures and applied to commercial samples, demonstrating its efficacy and reliability in the quantification of mealworm in processed foodstuffs.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/3/482<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>insectsnovel allergensreal-time PCRfood matrixheat processing |
| spellingShingle | Caterina Villa Mónica B. M. V. Moura Carla S. S. Teixeira Joana Costa Isabel Mafra Monitoring Yellow Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>) as a Potential Novel Allergenic Food: Effect of Food Processing and Matrix Nutrients <i>Tenebrio molitor</i> insects novel allergens real-time PCR food matrix heat processing |
| title | Monitoring Yellow Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>) as a Potential Novel Allergenic Food: Effect of Food Processing and Matrix |
| title_full | Monitoring Yellow Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>) as a Potential Novel Allergenic Food: Effect of Food Processing and Matrix |
| title_fullStr | Monitoring Yellow Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>) as a Potential Novel Allergenic Food: Effect of Food Processing and Matrix |
| title_full_unstemmed | Monitoring Yellow Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>) as a Potential Novel Allergenic Food: Effect of Food Processing and Matrix |
| title_short | Monitoring Yellow Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>) as a Potential Novel Allergenic Food: Effect of Food Processing and Matrix |
| title_sort | monitoring yellow mealworm i tenebrio molitor i as a potential novel allergenic food effect of food processing and matrix |
| topic | <i>Tenebrio molitor</i> insects novel allergens real-time PCR food matrix heat processing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/3/482 |
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