Safety of UV-treated powder of whole yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor larva) as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Turck, Dominique Bohn, Torsten Castenmiller, Jacqueline De Henauw, Stefaan Hirsch‐Ernst, Karen Ildico Maciuk, Alexandre Mangelsdorf, Inge McArdle, Harry J Naska, Androniki Pelaez, Carmen Pentieva, Kristina Siani, Alfonso Thies, Frank Tsabouri, Sophia Vinceti, Marco Aguilera‐Gómez, Margarita Cubadda, Francesco Frenzel, Thomas Heinonen, Marina Marchelli, Rosangela Neuhäuser‐Berthold, Monika Poulsen, Morten Maradona, Miguel Prieto Siskos, Alexandros Schlatter, Josef Rudolf van Loveren, Henk Zakidou, Panagiota Ververis, Ermolaos Knutsen, Helle Katrine
Abstract	AbstractFollowing a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on UV‐treated powder of whole yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor larva) as a novel food (NF) pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. The term yellow mealworm refers to the larval form of the insect species T. molitor. The NF is the UV‐treated powder of the whole, thermally dried yellow mealworm. The NF consists mainly of crude protein, fat, digestible carbohydrates and fibre (chitin). The Panel notes that the levels of contaminants in the NF highly depend on the occurrence levels of these substances in the insect feed. The Panel notes furthermore that there are no safety concerns regarding the stability of the NF if the NF complies with the proposed specification limits during its entire shelf life. The NF has a high protein content, although the true protein content in the NF is overestimated when using the nitrogen‐to‐protein conversion factor of 6.25, due to the presence of non‐protein nitrogen. The applicant proposed to use the NF as an ingredient in various food products, such as bakery products, pasta, compotes of fruit/vegetables and cheese. The target population is the general population. The Panel notes that considering the composition of the NF, the proposed conditions of use and that the NF will not be the sole source of dietary protein, the consumption of the NF is not nutritionally disadvantageous. Despite the UV treatment, the Panel notes that the NF is not a significant dietary contributor of vitamin D3. The submitted toxicity studies from the literature did not raise safety concerns. The Panel considers that the consumption of the NF may induce primary sensitisation and allergic reactions to yellow mealworm proteins and may cause allergic reactions in subjects with allergies to crustaceans and dust mites. Additionally, allergens from the feed may end up in the NF. With the exception of possible allergenicity, the Panel concludes that the NF is safe under the proposed uses and use levels.
Page Count	32
Volume Number	21
PubMed Central reference number	PMC10233460
Issue Number	6
PubMed reference number	37274457
Journal	EFSA Journal [EFSA J]
e-ISSN	18314732
DOI	10.2903/j.efsa.2023.8009
Language	English
Publisher	John Wiley and Sons Inc.
Publisher Date	2023-06-01
Publisher Place	Hoboken
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	This is an open access article under the terms of the http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and no modifications or adaptations are made. © 2023 European Food Safety Authority. EFSA Journal published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH on behalf of European Food Safety Authority.
Subject Keyword	novel foods food safety Tenebrio molitor larva yellow mealworm insect powder UV radiation edible insect
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Microbiology Food Science Plant Science Parasitology Animal Science and Zoology Veterinary