# Exploring the Potential of Yellow Mealworm (_Tenebrio molitor_) Oil as a Nutraceuticalal Ingredient
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Fatty Acids Composition and Nutritional Quality Index of Tenebrio molitor Larvae Oil  
The application of high-resolution GC enabled the detection of 22 fatty acids (FAs) in TM oil samples (Table 2). Despite being an animal-origin oil, the unsaturated fraction of TM oil samples was predominant, with almost 75% of total FAs. The major FAs were oleic (C18:19_c_), linoleic (C18:29_c12c_), and palmitic (C16:0) acids, respectively. These results are in accordance with previous studies made on TM oil [38; 41]. PUFA/SFA is an index used to assess the impact of diet on cardiovascular health. PUFAs in the diet are associated with depressed low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and lower serum cholesterol levels. In contrast, some SFAs (palmitic and myristic) contribute to high serum cholesterol levels. Thus, a higher ratio of this type is bene  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline  & **Batch 1** & **Batch 2** & **Mean \(\pm\) SD** \\ \hline C80 & N.D & N.D & N.D \\ C100 & 0.02 \(\pm\) 0.00 a & 0.02 \(\pm\) 0.00 a & 0.02 \(\pm\) 0.00 \\ C120 & 0.36 \(\pm\) 0.00 a & 0.31 \(  
ficial for preventing cardiovascular disease. The results showed a higher PUFA/SFA proportion in TM oil than those found in lipids extracted from meat (0.11-0.95) and dairy products (0.06-0.17), and more similar to fish (0.51-1.79), shellfish (0.20-2.10), and certain brown and red seaweeds, although higher than green ones (0.44-0.88) [42]. The PUFA group was represented mainly by two compounds: linoleic C18:29\(c\)12\(c\) (32.44%) and \(\alpha\)-linolenic C18:39\(c\)12\(c\)15\(c\) (1.46%). Substantial presence in TM oil of \(\alpha\)-linolenic is beneficial regarding human health and well-being and was in accordance with previous results (1.22-1.74%) [36; 41]. The results of the \(\omega\)-6/\(\omega\)-3 ratio were lower than other studies, which indicates that in _Tenebrio molitor_ larvae, this ratio ranges between 1:31.5 and 1:40 depending on diet formulation [43]. The effect of dietary fatty acids profile on cardiometabolic risk factors and the risk of developing some pathologies have been widely demonstrated [44]. Ingestion of an appropriate balance of \(\omega\)-6/\(\omega\)-3 ratio suggested as 4:1 has been widely associated with a reduction risk of many pathologies like cardiovascular disease, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and bone disease, among others [45]. Although with a typical flour-based diet, the \(\omega\)-6/\(\omega\)-3 ratio is higher than recommended, it has been observed that including ingredients rich in \(\omega\)-3, like linseed, in larvae feed could easily improve this ratio [46; 47]. Moreover, \(\alpha\)-linolenic acid is a precursor of eicosapentaenoic acid C20:5 and docosahexaenoicenoic acid (C22:6); thus, the TM oil can be considered a sustainable source of valuable FAs [48]. Regarding reducing the risk of coronary heart disease, it should be mentioned that a lower amount of cholesterol is assayed in TM oil (146 mg/100 g) than in many common animal-derived sources (eggs, pork, and butter) (Table 2) [49; 50]. A previous study also revealed that specific feeding regimens may provide an even lower cholesterol level than assayed in our study [7]. Indexes were calculated to evaluate TM oil's nutritional quality FA profile (Table 2). The two first indexes, thrombogenicity (TI) and atherogenicity (AI), indicate whether TM oil has the potential to stimulate platelet aggregation. The lower the TI and AI values, the more anti-atherogenic fatty acids are present, which means that there is greater potential for preventing the development of coronary heart disease. According to previously reported values, the obtained results in TI and AI, 0.61 and 0.41, respectively, were lower compared with values of indexes of some other animal origin products, such as milk products, lamb, beef or pork meat, and chicken, which is considered as white meat and healthier, whose range varied from 0.79 to 2.07 for TI, and 0.50 to 2.03 for AI [24; 41].