Chitin Assessment in Insect-Based Products from Reference Methods to Near-Infrared Models

The global insect farming sector is rapidly expanding, driven by rising demand for sustainable protein sources and its potential to contribute to food security solutions. This study focuses on the quantification of chitin by comparing two gravimetric methods (ADF-ADL and crude fiber estimation) with a purification method considered as a reference method. It also aims to use the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to rapidly assess the quality of insect meals, in particular the macronutrients (moisture, protein, fat) and chitin content in a large data set of insect samples. Both alternative methods overestimated chitin content compared to the enzymatic purification method, which is the most reliable but more complex and expensive. Given their advantages (fairly simple, no significant investment, higher sample throughput, relatively short time execution), they can serve for rapid screening when precise chitin determination is not required. Calibration models showed good performance, particularly for protein and fat determination, and satisfactory results for chitin prediction. The NIRS models show promises for rapid and reliable prediction of insect products, although the chitin assessment remains to be further validated. Its implementation could streamline chemical quality control in insect-based food and feed production, offering speed and flexibility for industrial applications.