TURK 2025

The growing interest in the high nutritional value of edible insects has led to the exploration of their potential in the food industry for creating nutrient-rich products. This study investigated the possibility of using cricket (Acheta domesticus) powder as a substitute for wheat flour in bread production. The chemical composition, color properties, physico-chemical properties, techno-functional properties, and amino acid composition of the cricket powder were analyzed. Cricket powder was characterised by a high protein content 60.79 Bread formulations were developed by replacing wheat flour with cricket powder at 10%, 20%, and 30% levels, and the quality characteristics of these formulations were evaluated. The increasing incorporation of cricket powder in bread recipes has led to higher protein content in the final products, with control bread containing 9.35% protein. In comparison, bread with added cricket powder has protein levels of 11.93% for 10% cricket powder, 18.12% for 20%, and 14.40% for 30% cricket powder. This trend reflects a broader movement towards enhancing nutritional value in baked goods while simultaneously contributing to improved visual appeal resulting in a richer coloration of the bread. Additionally, the amino acid composition of bread enriched with cricket powder was analyzed and compared to a control bread. The control bread contained 8.43 g/100g total amino acids. In contrast, the bread with 10% cricket powder had 9.80 g/100g total amino acids, the bread with 20% cricket powder had 11.91 g/100g total amino acids, and the bread with 30% cricket powder reached 15.34 g/100g total amino acids. Considering the results obtained, it can be concluded that cricket powder is suitable for the production of enriched bread.