Determination of vitamin B12 in four edible insect species by immunoaffinity and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography

[helvella]

For any avid fans of I'm a celebrity…

For the rest of us, probably only of passing interest.

Food Chem. 2019 May 30;281:124-129. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.12.039. Epub 2018 Dec 15.

Determination of vitamin B12 in four edible insect species by immunoaffinity and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography.

Schmidt A1, Call LM1, Macheiner L1, Mayer HK2.

Author information

Abstract

Insects are rich in major nutrients, such as protein and fat. Recently, minor nutrients like vitamins have become the subjects of interest in insects. Hence, this study reports on the development and validation of a method for the determination of vitamin B12 in mealworm (Tenebrio molitor larvae), cricket (Gryllus assimilis), grasshopper (Locusta migratoria) and cockroach (Shelfordella lateralis), using an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography approach with preliminary immunoaffinity chromatography sample preparation. The method was validated regarding linearity, specificity, accuracy and precision, as well as limits of detection/quantification, and was found to be satisfactory for the desired application. Found levels of vitamin B12 were 1.08 µg/100 g for mealworm, 2.88 µg/100 g for cricket, 0.84 µg/100 g for grasshopper, and 13.2 µg/100 g dry weight for cockroach, representing the first validated report on the content of vitamin B12 in edible insects. Observed interferences are likely caused by the presence of pseudovitamin B12.

Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS:

Cockroach; Cricket; Cyanocobalamin (PubChem CID: 5311498); Grasshopper; Hydroxocobalamin (PubChem CID: 45357193); Insects; Mealworm; Pseudovitamin B(12); UHPLC; Vitamin B(12)

PMID: 30658738

DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.12.039

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/306...

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi helvella does that mean I ought to include those "little critters" in my daily diet?

[helvella in reply to clivealive]

Do you actually have any in your house?

(Actually, many who feed birds are likely to have mealworms.)

[JGBH]

Hi Helvella

From now on my garden birds will need to share their mealworms! Yum! Can’t wait..

[Marz]

Someone I know here was putting cicadas on the BBQ. When he told me how nutritious they were I went off to look it up - and yes they were ! Tasted just fine too 😊

[TSH110 in reply to Marz]

I would highly recommend flying termites 😉 I preferred them fried to live.

[fbirder]

So it’s not really worth eating insects for B12 unless they’re cockroaches. 100 g is one hell of a lot of mealworms. When I tried them I’d had enough after less than 1 g.

[pitney]

Think i will stick to Marmite and the odd steak

[TSH110]

Flying termites are very tasty, fried or alive (I was assured they “go down peacefully” and indeed they do!) if you can get over the cultural shock of eating insects. They are rather like a cross between a peanut and a crispy sausage. Even other Kenyan tribes were shocked at those tribes who did did termites. How they were caught by the women was fascinating, but is too involved to go into here.

[deniseinmilden]

I didn't like the idea of self injecting but once I'd tried it I found that it was fine...

However eating insects is a step too far for me!! 😁

[Cherylclaire Forum Support]

Flying termites ? ..Yum ....crunch.....yum.

I'm with deniseinmilden ,

- and Meatloaf: I will do anything for health...but I won't do that !