Nutritional Upgrading and Climate Change Mitigation in Fresh Pasta via Co-Fortification with Cricket Powder and Riceberry Flour

In this study, fresh pasta made from refined wheat was reformulated by replacing 0, 5, 10, and 15% (w/w) of the flour with house-cricket (Acheta domesticus) powder. In comparison, riceberry rice flour was kept constant at 5%. Increasing cricket content decreased aw from 0.948 ? 0.003 to 0.931 ? 0.002 and lowered moisture from 32.83 ? 0.10% to 31.95 ? 0.09%. However, protein content increased from 11.30 ? 0.46% to 15.93 ? 0.25%, and dietary fiber grew from 2.26 ? 0.06% to 2.73 ? 0.04%. The product color changed from pale yellow (L* 80.03) to muted purple-brown (L* 68.73), yet cooking loss stayed below 4% in all samples, indicating no technological drawbacks. All formulations met international thresholds for fresh pasta concerning dry matter (? 68%), protein (? 8% d.b.), and safety (aw < 0.95)