Edible insects are the future?

Abstract

The global increase in demand for meat and the limited land area available prompt the search for alternative protein sources. Also the sustainability of meat production has been questioned. Edible insects as an alternative protein source for human food and animal feed are interesting in terms of low greenhouse gas emissions, high feed conversion efficiency, low land use, and their ability to transform low value organic side streams into high value protein products. More than 2000 insect species are eaten mainly in tropical regions. The role of edible insects in the livelihoods and nutrition of people in tropical countries is discussed, but this food source is threatened. In the Western world, there is an increasing interest in edible insects, and examples are given. Insects as feed, in particular as aquafeed, have a large potential. Edible insects have about the same protein content as conventional meat and more PUFA. They may also have some beneficial health effects. Edible insects need to be processed and turned into palatable dishes. Food safety may be affected by toxicity of insects, contamination with pathogens, spoilage during conservation and allergies. Consumer attitude is a major issue in the Western world and a number of strategies are proposed to encourage insect consumption. We discuss research pathways to make insects a viable sector in food and agriculture: an appropriate disciplinary focus, quantifying its importance, comparing its nutritional value to conventional protein sources, environmental benefits, safeguarding food safety, optimising farming, consumer acceptance and gastronomy.

Edible Insects Processing: Traditional and Innovative Technologies

“…Nearly 2.5 billion people in the world currently supplement their diet with insects (Van Huis, 2016). Edible insects are mostly consumed in tropical regions, which have high levels of biodiversity, suggesting that ecological factors related to the abundance of insect species have influenced consumption patterns (Lesnik, 2017).…”

Tenebrio molitor Larvae Inhibit Adipogenesis through AMPK and MAPKs Signaling in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and Obesity in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice

“…However, insect-based bioactive products have rarely been studied, owing to a lack of scientific evidence regarding the safety and beneficial effects of insects despite their wide use as traditional foods or medicines in many countries. It has recently been suggested that insects will become the most popular source of effective bioactive products and dietary supplements for humans in the future [19]. Previous work has reported that insects could be useful sources for the development of medicine owing to their antidiabetic, antihepatofibrotic, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties [20,21].…”

Sustainable farming of the mealworm Tenebrio molitor for the production of food and feed

“…Processing mealworms into conventional foods, such as burgers and tortillas, increased consumer acceptance [46,94]. Further strategies to increase consumer acceptance include the provision of more information about the benefits of insect foods while dealing openly with the potential risks [12].…”

“…More than 2000 edible insect species are known worldwide, but only a few are produced commercially [8,9]. These species show diverse nutritional profiles but insects are generally considered as good alternative protein sources for humans, livestock and aquaculture, which can be produced in an environmentally sustainable manner, although several potential safety issues have been raised [3,[10][11][12][13][14].…”