Evaluation of in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities and hydrolysates from Sphenarium purpurascens of early and adult stage

Edible insects have become a promising food source since it has been shown that they are rich in protein, fatty acids, minerals, among others. Sphenarium purpursacens is considered an edible insect endemic from Mexican culture and its geographical distribution includes Tlaxcala, Puebla, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Hidalgo y México. Furthermore, grasshoppers contain several nutritional compounds in which the percentage of protein stands out. Obtaining innovative and alternative ingredients with biological activity from edible insect proteins has increased the demand for which it is necessary to advance research regarding entomophagy. The present study aimed was determined the antioxidant properties of the extract obtained from Sphenarium purpurascens early and adult age and evaluate the differences between them. It was carried out analyses compared proximal analyses of different stages of development of the insect and have been reported slightly different which are attributed to the age of the grasshoppers. Besides, the application of enzymatic hydrolysis using the Bacillus licheniformis 2.4L protease caused an increase in antioxidant capacity against DPPH• and ABTS•+. Once fractionated by ultrafiltration, the fractions that presented the highest antioxidant activity against DPPH• and ABTS•+ were ≤10 kDa. In conclusion, the enzymatic treatment with endoproteases proved to be an effective way to improve the concentration of compounds from the grasshopper, thus generating a viable source of possible nutraceuticals.

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1737-2639