LC-MS/MS Targeted Amino Acid Profiling of Edible Beetle Anomala Sp. and its Host Plants

Abstract

Anomala sp. is a green coleopteran beetle that feeds on the leaves of various fruit trees. It is one of the most preferred and abundantly found edible insects in Arunachal Pradesh, India. People from different countries consume it due to its nutritional and therapeutic value, both in cooked and uncooked form. This study aimed to assess the amino acid content in this edible insect and its host plant, which is still lagging. The method involves targeted metabolomic analysis using LC–MS/MS, producing reliable and reproducible data for quantifying free amino acids using deuterated internal standards without derivatization. Results showed that 0.57% and 0.36% of essential amino acids contributed to the total amino acids content in beetle and host plant’s leaf, respectively, which does not meet the FAO requirement. Still, it has a higher content than related edible scarab beetle analyzed by other techniques. Amino acid content is significantly higher in edible beetle than in the host plant’s leaf (P< 0.001).