Extraction and characterization of gelatin derived from acetic acid-treated black soldier fly larvae

•Investigated the potential of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) as a source of gelatin.•Examined the extraction process of BSFL gelatin with acetic acid pretreatment.•Characterized the physicochemical properties of BSFL gelatin and compared it with commercial porcine gelatin.•Found that BSFL gelatin is heat-stable and has a high melting temperature, rough microstructure, and low foaming properties.•Demonstrated that BSFL gelatin can be used as a novel techno-functional ingredient in the food industry due to its high nutritional value and low cost. Gelatin is a low-cost and widely used soluble protein compound derived from collagen. Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae (BSFL) are a potential alternative source of gelatin due to their high nutritional value. This study investigated the effect of acetic acid pretreatment concentration, time, and centrifugation speed on the yield of BSFL gelatin and characterized its physicochemical properties. BSFL gelatin extracted with 0.05 mol/L acetic acid for 3 h and centrifuged at 3000 × g (BSFL3) had the highest yield of 1.085%±0.2%. The BSFL3 gelatin had lower protein content and amino acids than commercial porcine gelatin, specifically proline and hydroxyproline. It also had a high melting temperature of 135.12±1.04 °C, viscosity of 1.69±0.05 mPa·s, and rough microstructure with low foaming properties. The BSFL gelatin is high in K (680/01 mg/kg) and contains less Na, Mg, Ca, and P. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) revealed that BSFL3 gelatin has high potassium content. The results suggest that BSFL gelatin can be used as a novel techno-functional ingredient in the food industry.