A Comprehensive Review of the Importance of Selected Trace Elements Present in Edible Insects

Abstract

This review is intended to provide recent published information on trace elements from edible insects from various environments. Recently, insects are gaining popularity as food proteins in developing countries and press higher demand for edible insects since they may provide similar nutritional value as meat. Insects have been part of the human diet in the world for decades and at least 1900 insect species are considered edible. Furthermore, insects play a crucial role in socioeconomic by contributing to the world’s food security as well as eradicating poverty in rural communities. Generally, edible insects are considered a readily available source of proteins, carbohydrates, and chitin. They also contain considerable amounts of trace elements such as iron, zinc, copper, and manganese. It has been observed that there is a great variation between mineral contents found in insects of the same or different species. Knowledge and comprehensive understanding of trace element contents of edible insects are crucial to fully maximise their utilisation in diets and prevent mineral deficiency in human beings and animals. However, most of the research on insects has focused on the nutritional contents of insects with less attention given to other nutritional components such as minerals and trace elements. The available data on trace elements from edible insects as food is limited and makes it difficult to draw estimations for the nutrient intake of humans and animals. Therefore, this review aimed to provide comprehensive information on availability of iron, zinc, copper, and manganese from selected edible insects, functions, and deficiencies in both humans and animals.

Copping out of novel feeds: HOW climate change pledgers and food summits overlooked insect protein

“…Montowska et al [ 35 ], having performed proximate analyses on cricket powder, noted that this insect species is rich in minerals such as calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe). In similar vein, Mabelebele et al [ 10 ] conducted a literature search study to review the availability of trace elements in edible insects, and observed that most contain sufficient amounts of calcium (Ca), phosphorous (P), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu), to meet the mineral requirements of most livestock. Heidari-Parsa [ 38 ] also found a considerable amount of minerals and vitamins in both fresh and dried yellow mealworm.…”

“…Commercial interest in insects is spurred by their high nutritional content and vast potential use in diets [ 9 ]. Although insects are rich in nutrients such as proteins, lipids and minerals [ 10 ], their nutrient composition depends entirely on their species, their growth stage (larva, prepupa, pupa, nympha and imago), and their growth medium [ 11 ]. In addition to their high nutritive value, using insects in animal feeds has environmental benefits, such as converting large amounts of organic waste material into valuable nutrients [ 11 ].…”

Mineral and Phytochemical Contents of Selected Insects and the Possibility of Their Inclusion in Diets for Livestock

“…It is evident that antimicrobial peptides have been proven to be effective in pigs and broiler chickens in terms of growth traits and gut health through enhanced intestinal microbiota and immune function. Furthermore, recent documentation has reported that more than 2000 insect species are consumed mainly in tropical areas [15,5,6,7], however, the information regarding the amount of minerals and type of secondary metabolites present in some edible insect species has not been explored yet. Additionally, it has been reported that the chemical composition of edible insects is subject to variation which could be attributed to differences between species, developmental stages, feed or geographical origins [16].…”

The symbiotic relationship between Tenebrio molitor and coffee grounds presents an innovative perspective on addressing global challenges

“…However, it has the potential to feed on organic residues of low commercial value, such as flours, cereals, leaves, coffee grounds, and decaying vegetables, and convert them into biomass rich in proteins (approximately 50%), essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. For this reason, their larvae are considered an alternative source of protein for human and animal food (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26), according to the thresholds for the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations food labels (27). Therefore, coffee processing residues can be considered as an alternative feed source for Tenebrio molitor as they contain various amino acids, such as Alanine, Arginine, Cystine, Aspartic Acid, Leucine, Tyrosine, and Leucine, among others (28).…”