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<p>Edible insects (EI) are sustainable food sources, but with paradox that they serve as reservoirs of both microbial pathogens and health-promoting bioactive peptides. This duality presents both a challenge and an opportunity for food security, public health, and functional food innovation. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from EI demonstrate potent activity, thus it could address issue of antimicrobial resistance. In addition, their structural diversity and low cytotoxicity make them promising candidates for nutraceuticals and peptide-based therapeutics. Moreover, EI farmed under suboptimal conditions can pose unknown risks, undermine consumer safety, and trust when inadequately processed or poorly regulated. This review addresses the paradox that EI represent both a potential source of microbial pathogen/parasite and a reservoir of health-promoting AMPs. In contrast to the earlier reviews that examine nutritional or antimicrobial properties individually, this article combines microbial risk management with peptide functionality and provided a biotechnological insight for the paradoxical balance between biosafety and bioactivity and point our attention to databases for AMPs curation, useful in peptide design and bioinformatics. Ultimately, advancing EI-derived AMPs in the global health system is possible, but it remains a challenge that requires transdisciplinary collaboration across biotechnology, food science, microbiology, immunology, science communicators, and&#xa0;policy makers.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>

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Edible insects’ paradox: biotechnological standpoint on balancing the duality of microbial pathogen and bioactive peptides for health benefits

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月17日

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  • Christopher Busayo Olowosoke,
  • Richmore Chiamaka Ibeh,
  • Blessing Awoyemi,
  • Tope Abraham Ibisanmi,
  • Prosper Obed Chukwuemeka

摘要

Edible insects (EI) are sustainable food sources, but with paradox that they serve as reservoirs of both microbial pathogens and health-promoting bioactive peptides. This duality presents both a challenge and an opportunity for food security, public health, and functional food innovation. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from EI demonstrate potent activity, thus it could address issue of antimicrobial resistance. In addition, their structural diversity and low cytotoxicity make them promising candidates for nutraceuticals and peptide-based therapeutics. Moreover, EI farmed under suboptimal conditions can pose unknown risks, undermine consumer safety, and trust when inadequately processed or poorly regulated. This review addresses the paradox that EI represent both a potential source of microbial pathogen/parasite and a reservoir of health-promoting AMPs. In contrast to the earlier reviews that examine nutritional or antimicrobial properties individually, this article combines microbial risk management with peptide functionality and provided a biotechnological insight for the paradoxical balance between biosafety and bioactivity and point our attention to databases for AMPs curation, useful in peptide design and bioinformatics. Ultimately, advancing EI-derived AMPs in the global health system is possible, but it remains a challenge that requires transdisciplinary collaboration across biotechnology, food science, microbiology, immunology, science communicators, and policy makers.

Graphical abstract