Benefits and Challenges in the Incorporation of Insects in Food Products

Abstract

Edible insects are being accepted by a growing number of consumers in recent years not only as a snack but also as a side dish or an ingredient to produce other foods. Most of the edible insects belong to one of these groups of insects such as caterpillars, butterflies, moths, wasps, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, bees, and ants. Insect properties are analyzed and reported in the articles reviewed here, and one common feature is nutrimental content, which is one of the most important characteristics mentioned, especially proteins, lipids, fiber, and minerals. On the other hand, insects can be used as a substitute for flour of cereals for the enrichment of snacks because of their high content of proteins, lipids, and fiber. Technological properties are not altered when these insects-derived ingredients are added and sensorial analysis is satisfactory, and only in some cases, change in color takes place. Insects can be used as substitute ingredients in meat products; the products obtained have higher mineral content than traditional ones, and some texture properties (like elasticity) can be improved. In extruded products, insects are an alternative source of proteins to feed livestock, showing desirable characteristics. Isolates of proteins of insects have demonstrated bioactive activity, and these can be used to improve food formulations. Bioactive compounds, as antioxidant agents, insulin regulators, and anti-inflammatory peptides, are high-value products that can be obtained from insects. Fatty acids that play a significant role in human health and lipids from insects have showed positive impacts on coronary disease, inflammation, and cancer. Insects can be a vector for foodborne microbial contamination, but the application of good manufacturing practices and effective preservation techniques jointly with the development of appropriate safety regulations will decrease the appearance of such risks. However, allergens presented in some insects are a hazard that must be analyzed and taken into account. Despite all the favorable health-promoting characteristics present in insects and insects-derived ingredients, willingness to consume them has yet to be generalized.

Consumer acceptance of new food trends resulting from the fourth industrial revolution technologies: A narrative review of literature and future perspectives

“…Around 2,000 edible insect species have been identified worldwide. They have been collected from the wild including from Africa, East Asia, and South America, and are used in traditional diets ( 37 ). Beetles (31%), caterpillars (18%), ants, wasps, and bees (14%), cricket, locusts, and grasshoppers (Orthoptera) (13%), planthoppers, cicadas, scale insects, true bugs (Hemiptera), and leafhoppers (10%), termites (Isoptera) (3%), dragonflies (Odonata) (3%); flies (Diptera) (2%); and other orders (5%) are the most commonly consumed species globally ( 85 ).…”

Edible insects – a new trend in Functional Food Science

“…However, the tendency of consumers to eat insect flour as an ingredient in Western food preparations (such as cereal snacks, breads, wheat pasta, and meat formulations) is greater than for whole insects [30].…”

Changes in the Chemical Composition of Edible Grasshoppers (Sphenarium purpurascens) Fed Exclusively with Soy Sprouts or Maize Leaves

“…It is estimated that the number of edible species of insects is around 2000 worldwide [ 1 ]. Despite the benefits of consuming edible insects, the acceptance of insects as food has been influenced by several factors, such as sensory properties, social environment, personal beliefs, and risks, among others [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. In addition, there is an increasing number of articles about edible insects regarding their farming, processing, or nutritional content not only from countries where insects are commonly eaten like African, Asian, and some Latin American countries but importantly from countries where they are seen as exotic foods, such as Germany and the Netherlands [ 4 , 5 ].…”