Potential of Yarrowia lipolytica and Debaryomyces hansenii strains to produce high quality food ingredients based on cricket powder

This research was aimed at producing, by the use of Yarrowia lipolytica and Debaryomyces hansenii strains, cricket powder hydrolysates endowed with high food safety, functionality, sensory and technological properties to be further used as food ingredients. The hydrolysates were characterised, in comparison to a control, by a reduced chitin content and higher contents of antimicrobial substances (acetic acid, short chain fatty acids, chitosan, and GABA) and health-promoting molecules (arachidonic and linolenic acids, GABA, AABA, and BABA). Additionally, in the cricket powder hydrolysates, a major release of free amino acids was detected, highlighting the high matrix digestibility. The hydrolysates obtained by the use of GRAS yeasts were characterised by the presence of many volatile molecules and specific amino acids typical of ripened and fermented foods that can impart good sensory properties. In this study, the ability of each tested strain, based on their physiological and metabolic features in the system taken into consideration, was shown to give rise to cricket-based hydrolysates characterised by specific physicochemical, sensory and functional fingerprints.