ஐ.எஸ்.எஸ்.என்: 2161-0983
Mohsin Raza, Jharna Chakravorty
A new global interest in entomophagy, the practice of eating insects with low ecological impact, has historically been used by humans for food or medicinal use. It is not only healthier; it is also the product of a generation of harmonious co-existence between tribes and environmental resources and human insect interaction that, most of the time, is little known. Although the nutritional value of edible insects is widely recognized and insects have therapeutic value, few studies have been focused on the antioxidant potential of edible insect extracts.
The present study was undertaken to analysis of antioxidants parameter: ABTS (2,2′‐azino‐bis 3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐ sulfonic acid radical cation), DPPH (2,2‐di(4‐tert‐octylphenyl)‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical), Ferric Reducing-Power (FRP), Total Antioxidant Activity (TAC) and also to establish the possible correlations between phenolics and flavonoid content of respective extract from Brachytrupes orientalis (mole cricket), Ducetia japonica (bush-cricket) the orthopterans and ootheca of Mantis sp. (mentids) extract and were compared to conventional fruit vegetable, and other reported insects. The results of this study demonstrate that mantids otheeca, comprises stronger free- radical scavenging activity ABTS•+(C50 μg/m) and DPPH (IC50 μg/ml) TAC (μg BHTE q/g) FRP (μg TPEE q/g) 19.76 ± 0.37; 46.38 ± 0.95; 37.12 ± 0.41 and 47.02 ± 0.93 respectively compared to bush-cricket (37.12 ± 0.41; 47.02 ± 0.93, and mole cricket (26.43 ± 0.37, 63.32 ± 1.04). Similarly TAC (μg BHTE q/g) and FRP (μg TPEE q/g) was higher in mantids otheeca (25.59 ± 0.25 and 18.98 ± 0.18) than orthopterans (0.15 ± 0.04, 1.31 ± 0.01 mole-cricket; 0.59 ± 0.083, 3.29 ± 0.04, bush-cricket). In terms of total phenols (GAE q/100 g), again mantis otheeca scores higher value (345.63 ± 3.51) yet, with the value 78.59 ± 2.54 and 75.67 ± 6.47 bush-cricket and mole cricket contain substantial amount of phenol. However, total flavonoid (mg RTE q/100 g) is higher in bush-cricket (37.78 ± 2.18) followed by mantids otheeca (35.08 ± 0.62) and comparatively lower in mole cricket (28.06 ± 0.26). TPC showed a strong positive correlation with antioxidants assayed. Hence, these insects in general and mantis in particular could play a role in the diseases caused by oxidative stress, inhibiting the development of various human diseases. Hence, our study gives a direction towards the isolation and identification of novel bioactive compounds responsible for antioxidant activity.