Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Food Research International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodres Lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus) powder as a novel baking ingredient for manufacturing high-protein, mineral-dense snacks Andrea Roncolini a , Vesna Milanović a , Lucia Aquilanti a, ⁎ , Federica Cardinali a , Cristiana Garofalo a , Riccardo Sabbatini a , Francesca Clementi a , Luca Belleggia a , Marina Pasquini a , Massimo Mozzon a , Roberta Foligni a , Maria Federica Trombetta a , M. Naceur Haouet b , M. Serena Altissimi b , Sara Di Bella b , Arianna Piersanti c , Francesco Griffoni c , Anna Reale d , Serena Niro e , Andrea Osimani a, ⁎ a Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Università Politecnica delle Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy b Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Umbria e delle Marche, via Salvemini, Perugia, Italy c Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche, Via Cupa di Posatora 3, 60131 Ancona, Italy d Istituto di Scienze dell’Alimentazione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Roma 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy e Dipartimento Agricoltura, Ambiente e Alimenti, Università degli Studi del Molise, Via De Sanctis snc, 86100 Campobasso, Italy ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Edible insects Novel foods Water activity Protein Iron Zinc ABSTRACT Increasing interest in consuming foods that are high in protein, vitamin, amino acid, and mineral contents is steering growth in the market for fortified snacks. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus) powder (LP) (at 10 or 30% substitution for wheat flour) for the protein and mineral fortification of crunchy snacks (rusks). Hence, the technological, microbiological, nutritional, and sensory characteristics of the fortified rusks were evaluated. The protein content was enriched up to 99.3% in rusks with 30% substitution; moreover, a notable increase in the essential amino acids content was observed, with histidine fortification reaching up to 129.1% in rusks with 30% substitution. The incorporation of LP has led to an enrichment of almost all the minerals considered here, and especially Fe, P and Zn, with Zn showing fortification percentages of up to 300% in rusks with 30% substitution for LP. The experimental rusks showed pleasant sensory traits and low a w values. In view of the potential industrial manufacturing of insect-based rusks, the proposed product can be assigned to level 4 (validation in a laboratory environment) of the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale, and it is thus ready to be tested in a simulated production environment. 1. Introduction The consumer trend in choosing nutrient-fortified foods is con- stantly increasing, thus driving the food industry towards the selection of innovative and sustainable raw materials to produce fortified foods (Ahuja & Deb, 2018). In fact, increasing interest in consuming foods with high protein, vitamin, amino acid, and mineral contents is now steering the growth of the fortified snacks market (Ahuja & Deb, 2018). In most industrialized countries, the need for an adequate protein intake is usually met by consuming foods of both vegetable and animal origin that are easily available on the market. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) set adults (including older adults) reference intakes for protein at 0.83 g/kg/bodyweight/day (EFSA, 2017). How- ever, a suboptimal protein intake below the recommended daily intake can sometimes be recorded in elderly people (Baugreet et al., 2017). In these human subjects, a protein deficiency can lead to sarcopenia, a pathology characterized by a loss of skeletal muscle mass and function (Deer & Volpi, 2015; EFSA, 2012; ENHA, 2005). Moreover, as reviewed by Gharibzahedi & Jafari (2017), in both industrialized and developing countries, several scientific studies have also highlighted increased mineral malnutrition, suggesting the need for novel strategies for mi- neral supplementation, such as food fortification, to prevent or reduce adverse disorders or diseases. Foods can be fortified by the direct addition of a given molecule during processing or by using ingredients that are naturally rich in the desired nutrient. In this context, the use of edible insects as food in- gredients can represent a promising strategy for the fortification of conventional foods. In fact, the positive nutritional features of edible https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109031 Received 15 September 2019; Received in revised form 20 January 2020; Accepted 21 January 2020 ⁎ Corresponding authors. E-mail addresses: l.aquilanti@univpm.it (L. Aquilanti), a.osimani@univpm.it (A. Osimani). Food Research International 131 (2020) 109031 Available online 24 January 2020 0963-9969/ © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. T