insect protein, a future nutritional, medicinal resource for mankind

Insects, as a diverse group of organisms on Earth, are considered to be a highly potential source of animal protein due to their high food conversion rate, rapid reproduction and growth rate, rich protein content and wide range of uses. In fact, the dry protein content in insects is often as high as 50%, which is even better than pork, soybeans and air-dried beef, and is comparable to fish meal. Looking to the future, experts predict that insects, microbial cells and single-cell organisms will become the three most important sources of protein for humans in the 21st century.

▍ Nutritional value of insect protein

Insect protein is not only rich in content, but also has extremely high nutritional value. Its protein amino acid composition is comprehensive and in a suitable proportion, which is easy for the human body to absorb and utilize. At the same time, insects are also rich in a variety of vitamins, minerals and other active ingredients, which play an important role in promoting human health. Therefore, insect protein is regarded as a protein resource with extremely high nutritional value and huge development potential.

Insects not only have high protein content, but also have a reasonable amino acid composition. Among the many edible insects that have been studied, we found that they contain abundant essential amino acids for the human body, which account for 35-50% of the total amino acids, showing the general advantage of insect protein in amino acid content. It is worth mentioning that the digestibility and utilization rate of insect amino acids is extremely high, reaching 70-98.9%, even close to or exceeding the digestibility of meat and fish, and much higher than the digestibility and utilization rate of plant protein. In addition, insect protein powder is rich in key amino acids such as lysine, methionine, and threonine, while the content of tryptophan is relatively low. In contrast, conventional animal and plant foods often lack lysine and methionine, but the content of tryptophan is high. Therefore, mixing insect protein powder with conventional foods can effectively achieve amino acid complementation, which has far-reaching significance for the balanced intake of nutrition and health of the human body.

▍ Benefits of insect protein

Insect protein is not only nutritious, but also has many health benefits. Its high protein and low fat characteristics make insect protein an ideal choice for a healthy diet. In addition, insect protein is rich in a variety of active ingredients, such as antimicrobial peptides and chitin, which have significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and other biological activities, providing new protection for human health.

Insect protein is not only of high nutritional value, but also has a variety of health functions. It can promote lymphocyte proliferation, regulate nonspecific immunity, and thus enhance the body's resistance to the external environment. It is particularly worth mentioning that the active ingredients such as antimicrobial proteins, antimicrobial peptides and bacteriolytic proteins rich in Deshenglin insect protein are of great significance for enhancing the host defense system. In addition, insect protein can also help to resist fatigue. For example, the alcohol extract of adult rice grasshoppers can significantly improve the anti-fatigue ability of mice. At the same time, insect protein products have also shown significant effects in preventing colds, especially in areas where influenza vaccines cannot be injected, and are particularly suitable for children and the elderly and infirm. In addition, the active ingredients of silkworms have sedative and hypnotic effects. After patients with long-term insomnia or neurasthenia take insect protein products, their sleep quality can be significantly improved. In addition, insect chitosan in silkworm pupae can effectively stabilize blood sugar and assist in lowering blood sugar levels, which is of great significance for preventing diabetic syndrome.

▍ Medicinal potential of insect protein

Insect protein is not only nutritious, but also shows broad application prospects in the field of medicine. Its unique bioactive ingredients, such as antibacterial proteins, antimicrobial peptides and bacteriolytic proteins, provide strong support for enhancing the host defense system. In addition, insect protein can also help fight fatigue, prevent colds, and significantly improve symptoms such as insomnia and neurasthenia. At the same time, insect chitosan in silkworm pupae is of great significance for stabilizing blood sugar and preventing diabetic syndrome. These discoveries have made insect protein a rising star in the field of medicine and provided more possibilities for human health.

Insects, a traditional Chinese medicinal resource, have a long history of more than two thousand years in my country. The insect protein it contains is not only of extraordinary nutritional value, but also shows remarkable potential in the field of medicine. These protein components have multiple functions such as antibacterial, antiviral and anti-tumor, providing rich natural resources for new drug development and vaccine preparation.

For example, silkworm antimicrobial peptides have been found to have significant anti-tumor activity and can effectively kill cancer cells. At the same time, interferon, a special protein contained in the bodies of the Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae, and Hymenoptera insects, has also been proven to have the effect of inhibiting tumor growth.

In addition, the study also revealed an interesting phenomenon: after the silkworm pupae were induced by Escherichia coli, new protein components were produced in their body fluids. This new protein showed a certain antibacterial effect on a variety of bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus tussah. Similarly, antimicrobial peptides derived from fly maggots were also found to have significant inhibitory effects on a variety of bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Insect resources are rich and diverse, and their reproduction and growth rate is rapid, which is very suitable for industrial production. This makes insects an important natural resource treasure trove in the fields of drug screening, vaccine preparation, and food additives. As an emerging and underutilized resource, insect protein has great potential. Increasing the development and utilization of insects will undoubtedly open up a broad space for development. With the continuous advancement of biotechnology, insect resources will surely make more significant contributions to the civilization and prosperity of human society.