Identifying proteins of mealworms, crickets and chicken breast by LC-MS analysis after tryptic-in gel digestion

Edible mealworms and crickets are high protein food sources, which have recently emerged on the European market. As the production of edible insects is more sustainable than conventional livestock proteins, they are a promising alternative protein source for human consumption. Protein compositions of mealworms and crickets that underwent different food processing and preparation steps were assessed by LC-MS analysis after tryptic in-gel digestion, and were compared to proteins from chicken breast.