GC–MS analysis of chemical constituents and determination of the total antioxidant capacity of adult powder of Periplaneta americana

Abstract Edible insects are alternative sources of high protein. Southeast Asia, South America, Africa, and Europe have recorded edible insects and, especially in Europe and America, there are factories that produce insects as food. In some areas of China, there has also been the habit of eating insects since ancient times. Periplaneta americana is an insect with the homology of medicine and food. In recent years, its medicinal and nutritional functions have attracted extensive attention and research. Its adult powder has been certified as a health product. It not only contains a variety of proteins but also is rich in fatty acids. The composition and antioxidant function of adult powder extract was analyzed in this study. Using adult P. americana powder as the raw material, it was extracted with n‐Hexane, dichloromethane, and ethyl acetate, respectively. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) removed a total of 60 compounds, and many active components were extracted from P. americana powder for the first time. The parts and relative content of each extracted sample were obtained, and the total antioxidant capacity (T‐AOC) of each extracted piece was determined, among which the antioxidant activity of ethyl acetate was the highest.