The transepithelial transport of peptides derived from insects (Galleria mellonella and Alphitobius diaperinus) through static in vitro digestion (INFOGEST) and their ability to mitigating oxidative stress

Insect protein-derived peptides are gaining attention for their potential bioactivities. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant ability of peptides derived from gastrointestinal digestion and assess their absorption through transepithelial transport. Results indicate an increase of antioxidant properties from G. mellonella (W) and A. diaperinus (B) proteins, including reducing power (Fe 2+ , Cu 2+ ) and radical scavenging (ABTS, DPPH) with enhanced antioxidant activities in gastrointestinal digestates compared to gastric digestates. The inhibition of intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) confirmed these findings, the inhibition rates of 40.2 % (W) and 58.5 % (B), respectively. Transepithelial transport analysis demonstrated that peptide absorption primarily occurred between 6 h and 24 h, with W exhibiting a higher apparent permeability coefficient (6.10 × 10 −6 cm/s) compared to B (5.91 × 10 −7 cm/s). The results highlight the antioxidant potential and absorption capability of insect-derived peptides, with W demonstrating superior antioxidant activity in most assays, whereas B proved more effective in inhibiting intracellular ROS. These findings support the potential of both W and B as bioactive ingredients with functional applications. • Buffalo worm intestinal digestates showed the highest ROS inhibition (58.5 %). • The apparent permeability coefficient of Waxworm intestinal digestate was 6.10 × 10 −6 cm/s. • The number of Waxworm permeable peptides (24 h transportation) was 5888. • Cellular and intracellular ROS inhibition showed positive correlation. • Waxworm intestinal digestates exerted high specificity to iron chelation.