This paper reviews entomophagy as practised in Africa within the context of food and nutritional security by providing an inventory of the various species of insects that are consumed on the continent and suggests a research for development (R4D) agenda for sustainable utilisation of insects for food and feed. Our survey showed that over 470 species of insects are eaten in Africa. The Central African region remains the most important hotspot of having a culture of entomophagy. The insects mostly eaten in the continent are dominated by the orders Lepidoptera, Orthoptera and Coleoptera. Commonalities were observed across the majority of the insects consumed across Africa, providing opportunities for related R4D activities. An R4D agenda and pathways for using edible insects suggest that socio-economics and marketing studies should address issues of communities' perceptions, based on their cultural background, income and beliefs. Cost-effective rearing, harvesting and processing technologies are required to prevent depletion and ecological perturbations while ensuring continuous availability of insect-based products. Indigenous reports assert that some edible insects harbour medicinal properties; thus, the need to undertake nutritional and bioactive chemical characterisation of main edible insects along the value chain and to investigate food safety issues such as diseases, allergies, and toxicological and chemical hazards. The use of insects for waste conversion into animal feed and fertiliser requires judicious choice of substrate in view of concerns regarding contaminant loads and pathogens occurrence. Responding to these research needs and opportunities, icipe has recently established an Insects for Food, Feed and Other Uses Programme with well-defined work packages oriented towards attainment of its Vision and Strategy 2013-2020 document, with a strong orientation towards R4D and a focus on activities that lead to adoption and impact on end users, through broad based complementary linkages and partnerships with agriculture and livestock extension services, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research and advanced research institutes, non-governmental organisations and the private sector.

No abstract

Bactrocera papayae Drew & Hancock, Bactrocera philippinensis Drew & Hancock, Bactrocera carambolae Drew & Hancock, and Bactrocera invadens Drew, Tsuruta & White are four horticultural pest tephritid fruit fly species that are highly similar, morphologically and genetically, to the destructive pest, the Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae). This similarity has rendered the discovery of reliable diagnostic characters problematic, which, in view of the economic importance of these taxa and the international trade implications, has resulted in ongoing difficulties for many areas of plant protection and food security. Consequently, a major international collaborative and integrated multidisciplinary research effort was initiated in 2009 to build upon existing literature with the specific aim of resolving biological species limits among B. papayae, B. philippinensis, B. carambolae, B. invadens and B. dorsalis to overcome constraints to pest management and international trade. Bactrocera philippinensis has recently been synonymized with B. papayae as a result of this initiative and this review corroborates that finding; however, the other names remain in use. While consistent characters have been found to reliably distinguish B. carambolae from B. dorsalis, B. invadens and B. papayae, no such characters have been found to differentiate the latter three putative species. We conclude that B. carambolae is a valid species and that the remaining taxa, B. dorsalis, B. invadens and B. papayae, represent the same species. Thus, we consider B. dorsalis (Hendel) as the senior synonym of B. papayae Drew and Hancock syn.n. and B. invadens Drew, Tsuruta & White syn.n. A redescription of B. dorsalis is provided. Given the agricultural importance of B. dorsalis, this taxonomic decision will have significant global plant biosecurity implications, affecting pest management, quarantine, international trade, postharvest treatment and basic research. Throughout the paper, we emphasize the value of independent and multidisciplinary tools in delimiting species, particularly in complicated cases involving morphologically cryptic taxa. Bactrocera (Bactrocera) dorsalis (Hendel)

In Africa, livestock production currently accounts for about 30% of the gross value of agricultural production. However, production is struggling to keep up with the demands of expanding human populations, the rise in urbanization and the associated shifts in diet habits. High costs of feed prevent the livestock sector from thriving and to meet the rising demand. Insects have been identified as potential alternatives to the conventionally used protein sources in livestock feed due to their rich nutrients content and the fact that they can be reared on organic side streams. Substrates derived from organic by-products are suitable for industrial large-scale production of insect meal. Thus, a holistic comparison of the nutritive value of Black Soldier Fly larvae (BSFL) reared on three different organic substrates, i.e. chicken manure (CM), brewers’ spent grain (SG) and kitchen waste (KW), was conducted. BSFL samples reared on every substrate were collected for chemical analysis after the feeding process. Five-hundred (500) neonatal BSFL were placed in 23 × 15 cm metallic trays on the respective substrates for a period of 3–4 weeks at 28 ± 2 °C and 65 ± 5% relative humidity. The larvae were harvested when the prepupal stage was reached using a 5 mm mesh size sieve. A sample of 200 grams prepupae was taken from each replicate and pooled for every substrate and then frozen at −20 °C for chemical analysis. Samples of BSFL and substrates were analyzed for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extracts (EE), ash, acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), amino acids (AA), fatty acids (FA), vitamins, flavonoids, minerals and aflatoxins. The data were then subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using general linear model procedure. BSFL differed in terms of nutrient composition depending on the organic substrates they were reared on. CP, EE, minerals, amino acids, ADF and NDF but not vitamins were affected by the different rearing substrates. BSFL fed on different substrates exhibited different accumulation patterns of minerals, with CM resulting in the largest turnover of minerals. Low concentrations of heavy metals (cadmium and lead) were detected in the BSFL, but no traces of aflatoxins were found. In conclusion, it is possible to take advantage of the readily available organic waste streams in Kenya to produce nutrient-rich BSFL-derived feed.

No abstract