High-humidity Hot Air Impingement Blanching (HHAIB): A Novel Strategy to Reconcile Drying Efficiency and Quality Preservation in Edible Cricket Processing.

This study explored high-humidity hot air impingement blanching (HHAIB) as a pretreatment to enhance edible crickets' drying efficiency and quality. HHAIB at 120 °C for 3 min reduced drying time by 56 % compared to conventional hot air drying. Scanning electron microscopy showed HHAIB facilitated cuticular wax layer shedding and accelerated dehydration; low-field nuclear magnetic resonance indicated improved water mobility in crickets' tissues post-treatment. After HHAIB at 120 °C for 3 min, the degree of browning and lipid oxidation in crickets was mitigated due to the shortened drying time, with ΔE and Malondialdehyde significantly reduced to 6.13 and 19.15 nmol/g DW. However, the free amino acid and soluble protein contents reduced to 26.26 mg/g DW and 5.71 g/100 g DW due to thermal phenomena. These findings confirm HHAIB as a promising pretreatment for enhancing cricket drying efficiency and quality, providing insights for sustainable insect-food processing development.