2023 年 67 巻 2 号 p. 53-56
To evaluate the dietary antioxidant content of insects, we analyzed the hydrophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity(H-ORAC) of silkworms(Bombyx mori Linnaeus), and rice grasshoppers(Oxya yezoensis Shiraki), which have been used as edible insects in Japan for many years, and Japanese buff-tip moths, Phalera flavescens(Bremer et Grey), which feed on cherry blossom tree leaves. Among these three insects, the H-ORAC value was highest(7455±185 µmol Trolox eq./100 g FW)in O. yezoensis adults, followed by B. mori pupae(4417.5±270.1), B. mori larvae(4280±189.1), and P. flavescens larvae(4112.5±409.4). The H-ORAC of all three insect species were more than twice those of most fresh vegetables, suggesting high antioxidant potential.