INFORM February 2026

40 INFORM FEBRUARY 2026 , VOL. 37, NO. 2

Thais Lomonaco Teodoro da Silva teaches and conducts food

quality attributes. This review provides a critical overview of recent advances in edible coating technologies for mushroom preservation, with particular emphasis on formulation strategies, fabrication methods, and preservation mechanisms such as moisture retention, inhibition of enzymatic activity, and microbial suppression. To bridge conventional approaches with advanced applications, recent developments in nanocomposites, stimuli responsive materials, and smart packaging systems are highlighted, as these have considerably improved the functional performance of coatings. The integration of omics technologies— including genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and microbiomics—offers systematic insights into coating–mushroom interactions and supports data-driven optimization. Despite these advances, challenges such as coating adhesion, regulatory compliance, scalability, and consumer acceptance remain obstacles to commercial translation. By integrating edible coatings with emerging interdisciplinary technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) for quality evaluation, further improvements in postharvest quality and safety of mushrooms may be achieved, thereby promoting more sustainable and resilient food systems.

for lipid synthesis, accumulation, and hydrolysis. Triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation occurs mainly in adipocytes. The major transported lipid is diacylglycerol, which is carried by high-density lipoprotein (lipophorin [Lpp]) from the gut into a trip to tissues for storage and utilization. About 1900 insect species, mainly from the Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Isoptera, Odonata, and Diptera orders, were recorded to be consumed by humans in the world, particularly in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Different methodologies used to extract lipids are currently applied to insects, such as the aqueous extraction, the Soxhlet method, the Folch method, the Matyash method, the supercritical fluid extraction method, the Aqueous Enzymatic method, and the acid fermentation method. This review shows that the Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and Isoptera orders contain the higher amount of fat/ oil at the same level as palm and palm kernel oil. In the larval stage, Samia ricini had the higher fat content in terms of crude fat, followed by Rhynchophorus phoenicis , Rhynchophorus ferrugineus , commercial palm oil, Aspongopus viduatus (adult), Oryctes nigeriensis (Adult) and palm kernel oil. Understanding lipid metabolism, composition, and physiological implications is fundamental for insect mass rearing and harvesting according to the final use owariensis (Larvae), and Macrotermes

science research at the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Brazil. Her research is focused on oleogels, lipid

crystallization, and sonocrystallization.

Currently, insects are being introduced in the industry as an alternative, healthy, and sustainable food ingredient. Insect oils can partially or totally replace vegetable oils and animal fats in food products such as cookies, cakes, margarines, mayonnaise, sauces, and even fried foods after processes such as deodorization. Meal worm, cricket, and grasshopper oils are promising and have shown high acceptance, especially when compared to vegetable oils. INSECT LIPIDS AS NOVEL SOURCE FOR FUTURE APPLICATIONS: CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS—A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW Siddiqui, S.A., et al. , Food Science & Nutrition , 13, 7, 2025. Nutritional values of some insects are correlated with species, developmental stages, temperature, reproduction, flight, migration, and their diet. Insect oil may be utilized as an ingredient in feed and food, in the cosmetic industry, or as biofuel. Lipid content is composed mainly of fatty acids (FAs) of nutritional importance. Insects’ fat body (FB) is crucial