Edible Crickets (Orthoptera) Around the World: Distribution, Nutritional Value, and Other Benefits—A Review

Abstract

Edible crickets are among the praised insects that are gaining recognition as human food and livestock feed with a potential of contributing to food security and reduction of malnutrition. Globally, the sustainable use of crickets as food or feed is undermined by lack of information on the number of the edible crickets, the country where they are consumed, and the developmental stages consumed. Furthermore, lack of data on their nutritional content and the potential risks to potential consumers limits their consumption or inclusion into other food sources. We reviewed published literature on edible cricket species, countries where they are consumed, and the stage at which they are consumed. We further reviewed information on their nutritional content, the safety of cricket consumption, and the sensory qualities of the edible crickets. We also looked at other benefits derived from the crickets, which include ethnomedicine, livestock feed, pest management strategies, contribution to economic development, and livelihood improvement, particularly in terms of use as food preservatives and use within music, sports, and cultural entomology. Lastly, we reviewed information on the farming of edible crickets. In this review, we report over 60 cricket species that are consumed in 49 countries globally. Nutritionally, crickets are reported to be rich in proteins, ranging from 55 to 73%, and lipids, which range from 4.30 to 33.44% of dry matter. The reported amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is 58% of the total fatty acids. Edible crickets contain an appreciable amount of macro- and micro-mineral elements such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, zinc, manganese, and copper. Also, the crickets are rich in the required amount of vitamins such as B group vitamins and vitamins A, C, D, E, and K. Overall, the cricket species examined in this review are safe to be consumed, and they display high proximate content that can replace plant and livestock products. The crickets play valuable roles in contributing to the economies of many countries and livelihoods, and they have medicinal and social benefits. This review is expected to promote greater recognition of crickets as a source of food, feed, and other benefits in the world and encourage up-scaling by farming them for sustainable utilization.

Proximate Composition of Thai and Cambodian Ready-to-Eat Insects

“…e composition of the African cricket species "Gymnogryllus lucens" was documented by Magara et al [5], but this species was moved to another genus, being currently termed as Phonarellus lucens in the Orthoptera Species File (https://orthoptera.speciesfile. org/Common/basic/Taxa.aspx?TaxonNameID�1122521, accessed on February 17 th , 2021).…”

“…Proximate chemical composition (%, dry matter base; nonprocessed) of sampled species (or similar) according to[1,5,7,8,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20].…”

Gryllus testaceus walker (crickets) farming management, chemical composition, nutritive profile, and their effect on animal digestibility

“…Therefore, it is important to find cheap sources of protein and further nutrients for human food and animal feed. It can be obtained mostly from plant materials that are less used (Magara et al 2021). Insects, which were said to be very large, should be given priority in this struggle.…”

Benefits and Challenges in the Incorporation of Insects in Food Products

“…Another characteristic is the color, which can change with the cooking process; it can be gray, brown, red, or black. Because of this change, it is necessary to carefully choose the type of an insect and the processing applied in the final product ( 104 ).…”