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Exploring the chemistry and composition of black soldier fly eumelanin, a material for a circular economy
Bernard Mostert 
,
S. Mattiello ,
S. Li ,
G. Perna ,
M. Lasalvia ,
P. F. Ambrico ,
J. V. Paulin ,
J. V. M. Lima ,
C. F. O. Graeff ,
J. W. Phua ,
M. Matta ,
A. J. Surman ,
R. Gunnella ,
M. Ambrico
,
S. Mattiello ,
S. Li ,
G. Perna ,
M. Lasalvia ,
P. F. Ambrico ,
J. V. Paulin ,
J. V. M. Lima ,
C. F. O. Graeff ,
J. W. Phua ,
M. Matta ,
A. J. Surman ,
R. Gunnella ,
M. Ambrico
Materials Advances
Swansea University Author:
Bernard Mostert
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© 2024 The Author(s). This Open Access Article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence (CC BY 3.0).
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DOI (Published version): 10.1039/d4ma00825a
Abstract
Eumelanin is a black-brown biopigment that provides photoprotection and pigmentation in mammals, insects, and invertebrates. It can be obtained by oxidative polymerisation of 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI) and its 2-carboxylic acid (DHICA). Due to its unique physical and chemical properties and its bioco...
| Published in: | Materials Advances |
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| ISSN: | 2633-5409 |
| Published: |
Royal Society of Chemistry
2024
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68077 |
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| Abstract: |
Eumelanin is a black-brown biopigment that provides photoprotection and pigmentation in mammals, insects, and invertebrates. It can be obtained by oxidative polymerisation of 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI) and its 2-carboxylic acid (DHICA). Due to its unique physical and chemical properties and its biocompatibility, eumelanin is a promising biomaterial for applications in energy storage, biomedicine, and sensing. However, poor solubility in water and lack of sustainable and low-cost sources of eumelanin have so far limited the full exploitation of this biomaterial. Insect farming is rapidly emerging as an alternative source of eumelanin. Unlike other types of eumelanin, BSF eumelanin, which is extracted from the exoskeleton of the black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens), is water-dispersible; however, its fundamental chemical properties are not completely understood. Here, we report the characterisation of BSF eumelanin using various spectroscopy techniques. Contrary to what is known about other insect eumelanins, which are believed to contain exclusively DHI, our results indicate that BSF eumelanin may contain both DHI and DHICA moieties. We discuss the potential reasons for this discrepancy. |
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| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
M. A. acknowledges the CNR-Short Term Mobility program 2021 Prot.0052594/230721. M. A. and P. F. A. acknowledges the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) PONa3_00369 SISTEMA. R. G. and S. M. thanks European Union – NextGenerationEU under the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) National Innovation Ecosystem grant ECS00000041 – VITALITY – Spoke 9. M. M. gratefully acknowledges financial support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 843554. A. J. S. is grateful to The Royal Society for research funding (Research Grant RGS\R2\222385). S. L. has been supported by a studentship from the King's China Scholarship Council. S. L., A. J. S., and M. M. are grateful to King's College, Chemistry, for research facilities. A. B. M. acknowledges this work was supported by the UKRI Research Partnerships Investment Fund through the Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials. J. V. P., J. V. M. L. & C. F. O. G. acknowledges that this work was financially supported by São Paulo Research Foundation, FAPESP (grant 2013/07296-2 and 2021/03379-7). J. V. P. acknowledges the support of the São Paulo State University research office (PROPe) postdoctoral fellowship (grant 05/2024). We acknowledge Ms Wei Ling Tan from the Elemental Analysis Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore for the elemental analysis. |