Analysis of Metabolites and Anti-inflammatory Efficacy of Cordyceps militaris Cultivated on Edible Insect-based Substrates

Although edible insects are recognized as excellent protein sources enriched with diverse nutrients, their consumption and utilization remain limited. Cordyceps militaris is a representative entomopathogenic fungus with notable pharmacological activities. Although it is commercially cultivated on rice substrates, insect-based cultivation has been reported to yield higher levels of valuable metabolites such as cordycepin. In this study, the metabolites and the bioactivities of C. militaris were compared by the cultivation on conventional grains and edible insects. Cordyceps was cultivated on rice, barley, and three edible insects such as Protaetia brevitarsis (white-spotted flower chafer), Tenebrio molitor (mealworm), and Gryllus bimaculatus (two-spotted cricket) and both mycelia and fruiting bodies were subjected to metabolite profiling and bioactivity evaluation. The cordycepin content was moderately increased on barley compared to rice but was markedly elevated by approximately 10- to 20-fold when cultivated on insect substrates. Both mycelia and fruiting bodies produced cordycepin, with C. militaris grown on cricket showing 9.2-fold and 22.4-fold higher levels in fruiting bodies and mycelia, respectively, compared to those cultivated on rice. Metabolite profiles also differed significantly between grain and insect substrates, as well as between mycelia and fruiting bodies. Furthermore, anti-inflammatory activity assays revealed that fruiting bodies cultivated on P. brevitarsis exhibited strong efficacy, although variations were observed depending on substrate and tissue types. Therefore, cultivation of C. militaris using edible insects enables the production of high-quality sources enriched with bioactive compounds and represents an important strategy for the utilization of edible insects.