The intake of dietary advanced glycation end products (AGEs) is closely related to a variety of chronic diseases, especially diabetes and kidney disease. In this study, 13 amino acids were screened for their inhibitory activity on AGEs, revealing that tryptophan (Trp) was selected to evaluate its mechanism of action against the formation of AGEs in bovine serum albumin (BSA)-fructose, BSA-methylglyoxal (MGO), BSA-glyoxal (GO) and arginine (Arg)-MGO models. The inhibitory effect of Trp on fluorescent AGEs was concentration dependent. In BSA-MGO model, the inhibitory effect of Trp on the formation of AGEs was the best, followed by BSA-GO and Arg-MGO models, and Trp had little effect on BSA-fructose mode. The inhibition of different concentrations of Trp on N^ε-carboxymethyl lysine (CML) and N^ε-carboxyethyl lysine (CEL) showed a bell-shaped curve with the highest inhibition efficiency being observed at 1000 μg/mL concentration. Moreover, it was found that Trp could capture MGO by aromatic electron affinity substitution and the Pictet Spengler reaction, with a maximum trapping capacity of 3 molars.

The black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens) possesses the remarkable ability to convert waste into valuable lipids, making it a sustainable source of these valuable compounds. However, a comprehensive analysis of the dynamic changes in its lipid profile throughout its growth cycle has been lacking. Herein, the lipid profile dynamics of the BSF at larva, pre-pupa, and pupa stages were characterized based on lipidomic methodology. Lauric acid was the predominant fatty acid, with the highest percentage observed in pre-pupa. A total of 588 lipid molecules, spanning 32 subclasses, were identified. Triacylglycerol abundance exhibited an initial increase followed by a decrease as the BSF grew, while phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine consistently increased. Moreover, 50 differential lipid molecules were screened using multivariate statistical analysis. The glycerophospholipid pathway was the furthest relevant lipid metabolic pathway. These findings significantly enhance our understanding of the BSF’s lipid profile and offer new insights into the potential applications of BSF-derived lipids.