Protein hydrolysate is a complex mixture of peptide and amino acids that can be produced from various biomass sources including insects, such as black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illicens) due to its relatively high protein content. This study aimed to investigate the potential of protein hydrolysate from black soldier fly larvae as a bioactive hydrolysate through enzymatic hydrolysis using bromelain. Black soldier fly larvae contain 25.6% protein and 35.5% lipids as determined by a proximate analysis. Experiments for the enzymatic hydrolysis of black soldier fly larvae was designed using a central composite design with three factors particularly enzyme concentration (1-5%), pH (6-8) and time of hydrolysis (3-24 hours). The protein hydrolysate had a yield of 10.70 % (on a weight basis) based on defatted biomass with a productivity of 21 mg/L/batch. The protein concentration varied between 240-310 μg/ml with the degree of hydrolysis varied in the range of 10-43%. The protein hydrolysate had a molecular weight in the range of 14-25 kDa based on Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis. The amino acid composition of the protein hydrolysate was also determined and mainly consists of lysine (8.0%), leucine (7.7%), and valine (7.2%). The protein hydrolysate may find application as a bioactive hydrolysate with an antioxidant activity of 72.6 in terms of its ability to inhibit free radicals 2,2-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl with IC50 of 0.84%.

Coffee pulp which is a by-product of coffee production contains considerable amounts of phenolic compounds that can be valorised to produce cascara as an antioxidant beverage. The fermentation and drying conditions of the coffee pulp have a great influence on the bioactive compounds in the cascara. This study aimed to investigate the effect of natural fermentation with simultaneous aeration on the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of cascara. A systematic study was carried out using a response surface methodology with a face-centered central composite design to determine the effect of fermentation time (0–8 h) and temperature (27–37 °C) on the number of bacteria in the coffee pulp after natural fermentation with simultaneous aeration (an air flowrate of 4 m/s) as well as phenolic content and antioxidant activity of cascara. The experimental dataset was modelled with an empirical model using multi-variable non-linear regression. A good agreement between model and experimental data was obtained. At the optimum conditions (4.2 h, 31.8 °C), the phenolic content was 6.72% whereas the antioxidant activity was 27.6%. Indigenous lactic acid bacteria were also isolated from the coffee pulp and determined as Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides. The isolated bacteria can be used as a starter for controlled fermentation of coffee pulp as it increased the antioxidant activity up to 15% higher than the antioxidant activity of cascara obtained at the optimum conditions for natural fermentation with simultaneous aeration and 30% higher from the fresh coffee pulp.

Propolis and honey produced by stingless bees are regarded as high economic value products due to their bioactive components, which are significantly influenced by conditions at the cultivation location. This study investigated the effect of cultivation location on the amount and quality of propolis and honey produced by Tetragonula laeviceps cultivated in Modular Tetragonula Hives. Fifteen bee colonies were cultivated for at least three months in coffee plantations at two different locations, namely Cibodas and Cileunyi Wetan, Indonesia. The propolis was harvested from the hives and then evaluated to compare product quality from each location. The average production of propolis in both locations was found to lie in the range of 4.26–4.54 g/colony/month with a flavonoid content of 11.4–14.8 mg/g qE. Meanwhile, the average production of honey in both locations after eight months of cultivation was found to lie in the range of 0.93–1.44 g/colony/month. The vitamin C content of the honey obtained from both locations was 17.2–69.5 mg/100 g with an IC50 of 1188–1341 mg/L, in terms of its ability to inhibit the free radical 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl. This study shows that cultivation of stingless bees on a coffee plantation in the studied locations has the potential to provide sustainable production of propolis and honey from T. laeviceps.