Effects of Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Size Fractionation of Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor larvae) Protein on Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities and Inhibition of Muscle Loss

The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and muscle loss inhibitory effects of mealworm protein were investigated. Mealworm protein hydrolysate (MPH) was obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis and fractionated based on the molecular size. Although the protein content decreased with hydrolysis, it increased with an increase in size. Upon hydrolysis, essential and branched-chain amino acids decreased while free amino acids increased but decreased with an increase in size. The antioxidant activity increased upon hydrolysis and with an increase in molecular size. The anti-inflammatory effects were highest for MPH > 10 kDa and were similar to whey protein isolate (WPI), for IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. Size fractionation did not significantly affect the anti-inflammatory effects. The MPH > 10 kDa (1.19-fold of control) resulted in the lowest myostatin expression in C2C12 muscle cells with and without LPS, which was similar to WPI (1.23-fold). Consequently, MPH may be a potential alternative to WPI.