Detection and Quantification of House Crickets (Acheta domesticus) in the Gut of Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Larvae Fed Diets Containing Cricket Flour: A Comparison of qPCR and ddPCR Sensitivity

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60461373%3A22330%2F25%3A43933327" target="_blank" >RIV/60461373:22330/25:43933327 - isvavai.cz</a>

Nalezeny alternativní kódy

RIV/60460709:41210/25:103080 RIV/00027006:_____/25:10179207

Výsledek na webu

<a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/8/776" target="_blank" >https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/8/776</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/insects16080776" target="_blank" >10.3390/insects16080776</a>

Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

Detection and Quantification of House Crickets (Acheta domesticus) in the Gut of Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Larvae Fed Diets Containing Cricket Flour: A Comparison of qPCR and ddPCR Sensitivity

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

Due to their nutritional value and sustainability, edible insect-based foods are gaining popularity in Europe. Their use is regulated by EU legislation, which defines authorised species and sets labelling requirements. Molecular tools are being developed to authenticate such products. In this study, yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) larvae authorised for human consumption were fed wheat flour-based diets containing varying proportions of house cricket (Acheta domesticus) flour for 21 days. This was followed by a 48 h starvation period to assess the persistence of insect DNA in the digestive tract. Two novel, species-specific, single-copy markers were designed: ampd gene for the Acheta domesticus and MyD88 gene for the Tenebrio molitor. These were applied using qPCR and ddPCR. Both methods successfully detected cricket DNA in the guts of starved larvae. Linear regression analysis revealed a strong, statistically significant correlation between the proportion of Acheta domesticus flour in the diet and the normalised relative quantity of DNA. ddPCR proved to be more sensitive than qPCR, particularly in the detection of low DNA levels. These results suggest that the presence of DNA from undeclared insect species in edible insects may be indicative of their diet rather than contamination or adulteration. This highlights the importance of contextual interpretation in food authenticity testing.

Název v anglickém jazyce

Detection and Quantification of House Crickets (Acheta domesticus) in the Gut of Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Larvae Fed Diets Containing Cricket Flour: A Comparison of qPCR and ddPCR Sensitivity

Popis výsledku anglicky

Due to their nutritional value and sustainability, edible insect-based foods are gaining popularity in Europe. Their use is regulated by EU legislation, which defines authorised species and sets labelling requirements. Molecular tools are being developed to authenticate such products. In this study, yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) larvae authorised for human consumption were fed wheat flour-based diets containing varying proportions of house cricket (Acheta domesticus) flour for 21 days. This was followed by a 48 h starvation period to assess the persistence of insect DNA in the digestive tract. Two novel, species-specific, single-copy markers were designed: ampd gene for the Acheta domesticus and MyD88 gene for the Tenebrio molitor. These were applied using qPCR and ddPCR. Both methods successfully detected cricket DNA in the guts of starved larvae. Linear regression analysis revealed a strong, statistically significant correlation between the proportion of Acheta domesticus flour in the diet and the normalised relative quantity of DNA. ddPCR proved to be more sensitive than qPCR, particularly in the detection of low DNA levels. These results suggest that the presence of DNA from undeclared insect species in edible insects may be indicative of their diet rather than contamination or adulteration. This highlights the importance of contextual interpretation in food authenticity testing.

Druh

J_imp - Článek v periodiku v databázi Web of Science

CEP obor

—

OECD FORD obor

10600 - Biological sciences

Projekt

<a href="/cs/project/QK23020101" target="_blank" >QK23020101: Komplexní laboratorní strategie pro identifikaci druhů hmyzu určeného k lidské spotřebě a produkci zpracované živočišné bílkoviny, autentikace potravin na jeho bázi</a><br>

Návaznosti

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Rok uplatnění

2025

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Název periodika

Insects

ISSN

2075-4450

e-ISSN

2075-4450

Svazek periodika

16

Číslo periodika v rámci svazku

8

Stát vydavatele periodika

CH - Švýcarská konfederace

Počet stran výsledku

20

Strana od-do

nestránkováno

Kód UT WoS článku

001557709100001

EID výsledku v databázi Scopus

2-s2.0-105014258094