Influence of cooking and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on antioxidant capacity of cricket-enriched pasta

Insects have traditionally been consumed in the Eastern world as a regular part of the diet. Due to the growing need for sustainable dietary protein alternatives, insects are becoming more and more relevant. Currently, 4 insect species are authorized by EFSA as novel foods, including domestic cricket (Acheta domesticus). Pasta is a staple food in human diet, which represents a suitable opportunity for enrichment with cricket powder that can increase its protein quality and its fiber and mineral contents. In addition, cricket is a rich source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties, offering potential benefits in managing diseases where oxidative stress is a central factor in pathogenesis, including cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and diabetes [1, 2]. In this sense, this work aimed at evaluating the impact of cooking and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on antioxidant capacity of a cricket powder-enriched (10%) wheat pasta and comparing this activity with a 100% durum wheat pasta. For this purpose, both types of pasta were cooked (AACC methodology; pasta:water, 1:10, w/v) and subjected to simulated gastrointestinal digestion (INFOGEST 2.0) [3], obtaining a supernatant (bioaccessible fraction, BF) potentially absorbable by intestinal cells, and a residue (non-bioaccessible fraction, NBF) non absorbable and potentially metabolized by gut microbiota. The methanolic extracts of the raw and cooked pasta and NBFs were used for the antioxidant capacity determination by ORAC, TEAC and Folin-Ciocolteau reducing capacity (FCRC) methods [4]. No extraction was performed for BFs. The cricket-enriched pasta showed a significantly higher antioxidant capacity, compared to 100%-wheat pasta, before and after cooking and also after gastrointestinal digestion. No differences were observed in the ORAC test for raw pasta and BFs only. ORAC reaction mechanism is based on hydrogen atom transfer, whereas TEAC and FCRC are based on electron transfer, which could explain the different results among methods. Cooking significantly reduced (25–41%) the antioxidant capacity only in the ORAC test vs. raw samples; however, in the cricket-enriched pasta, the reduction was lower (16%). Some antioxidant compounds can solubilize in the cooking water, thus decreasing the antioxidant capacity in cooked food. The NBF from cricket-enriched pasta showed similar, higher and lesser antioxidant capacity in FCRC, TEAC and ORAC tests, respectively, compared to both raw and cooked pasta; however, a 3- to 5-fold increased antioxidant capacity was evidenced in the BF, except for the ORAC test where no significant differences were observed. Digestive enzymes can release compounds with antioxidant capacity such as bioactive peptides, elevating antioxidant capacity of BF and maintaining a remarkable antioxidant capacity in NFB. Future research is recommended to evaluate the antioxidant effect of cricket pasta in cellular models, as well as other functional properties to elucidate its promising beneficial effect on health. [1] Orkusz. Nutrients. 2021, 13, 1207. [2] Di Mattia et al. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2019, 106. [3] Brodkorb et al. Nature Protocols. 2019, 14, 991. [4] Cuenca-Ortolá et al. Biology and Life Sciences Forum. 2023, 26, 55.