PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF HYBRID NUGGETS CONTAINING CHICKEN MEAT AND DEFATTED GIANT MEALWORM (ZOPHOBAS MORIO) FLOUR: A NOVEL APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY

Using insects as food in Western countries is an innovative and sustainable alternative to mitigate the global shortage of animal proteins. Zophobas Morio (ZM), the superworm or giant mealworm, has an interesting nutritional profile because of its high protein content, favorable fatty acid profile, fiber, and vitamins. The meal from this insect can be a promising ingredient for replacing meat protein in meat products and a viable strategy to increase consumer acceptance. This study investigated the effects of partial replacement of chicken meat with defatted giant mealworm meal (DFZM) on nuggets' physicochemical and technological properties. Four treatments were developed: control (CF), with 72.5% chicken meat, and the others with 2% (F2), 4% (F4), and 6% (F6) of chicken replaced by DFZM. Analyses of centesimal composition, color, pH, cooking losses, and pick-up of the meat products were performed. The treatments' moisture, ash, and lipid contents did not differ significantly (P>0.05) from the control. However, the replacement of chicken meat by DFZM increased the protein content (P<0.05) in treatments F2, F4, and F6 compared to FC. The high levels of proteins found in the flour (43.14%) may help to explain these results. The increase in the levels of chicken replacement by DFZM resulted in a reduction in the lightness and red hue in the samples evaluated, both with the breading or coating system and without (when considering only the substrate). Regarding the instrumental evaluation of the color of the substrate alone, there was an increase in the yellow hue in treatments F4 and F6. However, the results of this parameter (b*) were inconclusive about the samples evaluated with the breading layers, possibly due to the heterogeneity of the coating system. Regarding the physicochemical properties, an increase in pH values was noticeable in treatments F2, F4, and F6 that differed from FC (P<0.05). Cooking losses were reduced in treatment F6 with higher DFZM content, suggesting greater moisture retention and less exudation during thermal processing. Pick-up did not differ (P>0.05) between treatments F2, F6, and FC, indicating that partial chicken replacement by DFZM does not compromise coating adhesion. Incorporating giant mealworm meal (Zophobas morio) into the nugget formulation proved a viable alternative, providing relevant technological and nutritional advantages, such as reduced cooking losses and increased protein content.