Study of in vitro digestion of Tenebrio molitor flour for evaluation of its impact on the human gut microbiota

[Display omitted] •The insect flour (TMIF) shows a positive effect on gut microbiota modulation.•Most marked results were found on the growth of Bacteroidaceae and Prevotellaceae.•TMIF showed a positive impact on the production of SCFA and BCFA.•Insect flour shows potential on promoting satiety. Human diet has evolved to include not only nutritious foods but also health-promoting ones. Moreover, there is an increasing interest in replacing animal proteins as the main protein source. Insect based foods, e.g. Tenebrio molitor insect flour (TMIF), show potential as alternative protein sources for the human diet. This work aims to provide insights into the effect of TMIF upon the human gut microbiota and their metabolic end products by using an in vitro fecal model. Digested TMIF had a positive impact on gut microbiota, observed as an increase and/or upkeep of health promoting bacterial groups and by the production of SCFA (1.7 and 2.6 times higher acetate and propionate produced respectively than in the negative control at 48 h) and BCFA. A path is opened to acknowledge TMIF as a possible healthy nutritional source for human consumption, although in vivo trials would be necessary to confirm this.