The Rural Development Administration, in collaboration with the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, scientifically confirmed that extracts derived from the edible insect flower beetle (Protaetia brevitarsis larvae) are effective in inhibiting muscle loss. With the increasing elderly population, interest in sarcopenia is growing, and both the US (in 2016) and South Korea (in 2021) have recognized sarcopenia as a disease and are conducting related research.
Researchers prepared fractions from a 70% ethanol extract of flower beetles using solvents of different polarities and applied these fractions to muscle cell lines (C2C12) to confirm their physiological activity. The results showed that the butanol fraction promoted muscle cell differentiation, and the marker substance of this fraction was identified as L-tryptophan.
Additionally, the butanol fraction showed significant expression of skeletal muscle differentiation markers such as ‘MyoD’, ‘Myogenin’, and ‘HMC’. The findings were published in the international journal Insects, and a patent application was filed in collaboration with the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine to secure industrial applicability.
The Rural Development Administration plans to expand the use of flower beetle extracts by conducting clinical trials related to immune enhancement and promoting the development of health functional food materials based on these extracts. Byung-woong Byun, head of the Industrial Insect Division, stated that this research provides scientific evidence for the standardization and quality control of flower beetle-derived extracts.