Extraction and Processing Drive the Composition, Stability, and Bioactivity of Mulberry Silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) Pupae Oil: A Factorial Laboratory Study
Keywords:
Bombyx mori; silkworm pupae oil; extraction methods; fatty acid profile; antioxidant assays; antimicrobial; Rancimat; tocopherols.Abstract
Silkworm pupae oil (SPO) is a rich by-product of sericulture that has increasing potential use as a sustainable lipid in food, nutraceuticals and rural value chains. There are positive reports of favourable fatty-acid profiles and bioactives, although there are a wide range of results across studies since extraction routes and thermal histories vary. This experiment compares the effect of extraction (Soxhlet-acetone, cold maceration-hexane, supercritical CO2) and pre-processing (freeze-drying vs roasting) on oil yield, composition, oxidative stability and in-vitro bioactivities. Our design will be a 3 x 2 factorial design (n per cell determined by power analysis) with the application of AOAC proximate methods, GC-FID of FAMEs, HPLC of tocopherols/sterols, Rancimat of oxidative stability, and a bioassay panel (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, ORAC; antimicrobial zones and MIC/MBC against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans). We anticipate that there are robust method x pre-processing interactions: solvent polarity and heat history are expected to change MUFA/PUFA balance, minor lipid retention and oxidative stability with knock-on effects in antioxidant and antimicrobial readouts. The resulting practical is a justifiable workflow that provides a balance between nutrition and shelf-life, which applies to MSME processing in sericulture hubs. They have limitations, such as a single hybrid, lab scale and in-vitro endpoints that fail to measure in-vivo efficacy. Results will contribute to the use-case standardisation of SPO work and focus on a circular bioeconomy.
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