Mealworms for Food: A Water Footprint Perspective

Miglietta, Pier Paolo; Leo, Federica De; Ruberti, Marcello; Massari, Stefania

doi:10.3390/w7116190

Cited by 150 publications

(108 citation statements)

References 30 publications

(45 reference statements)

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“…The method of choice for such assessments is the life cycle assessment (LCA), which has a supply chain approach that quantifies environmental impact of a product through the entire chain. To date, LCAs have only been published for mealworms, house crickets, black soldier flies, and houseflies (Oonincx and de Boer 2012; Miglietta et al 2015;Roffeis et al 2015;Van Zanten et al 2015;Smetana et al 2016, Halloran et al 2017.…”

Section: Life Cycle Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The environmental sustainability of insects as food and feed. A review

Huis

Oonincx

2017

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

631

381

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With a growing world population, increasingly demanding consumers, and a limited amount of agricultural land, there is an urgent need to find alternatives to conventional meat products. Livestock production is, moreover, a leading cause of anthropogenic-induced climate change. To mediate this, more sustainable diets are needed, with reduced meat consumption or the use of alternative protein sources. Insects are promoted as human food and animal feed worldwide. In tropical countries, edible insects are harvested from nature, but overexploitation, habitat changes, and environmental contamination threaten this food resource. Therefore, sustainable harvesting practices need to be developed and implemented. We provide examples of (1) aquatic insects whose populations are threatened by pollution, (2) caterpillar species in Africa that are disappearing due to overexploitation and habitat change, (3) edible insects species that are considered pests in agro-ecosystems, and (4) edible insect species that can be conserved and enhanced in forest management systems. Insect farming can be conducted either on small-scale farms or in large-scale industrialized rearing facilities. We review the environmental sustainability of insect farming compared to livestock production. The major environmental advantages of insect farming compared to livestock production are as follows: (1) less land and water is required; (2) greenhouse gas emissions are lower; (3) insects have high feed conversion efficiencies; (4) insects can transform low-value organic by-products into highquality food or feed; and (5) certain insect species can be used as animal feed or aqua feed. For instance, they can replace fish meal, which is becoming increasingly scarce and expensive.However, edible insect species intended for production should be screened for risks to humans, animals, plants, and biodiversity.

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Section: Life Cycle Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The environmental sustainability of insects as food and feed. A review

Huis

Oonincx

2017

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

631

381

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“…This is urgently needed in order to establish its environmental impact v. other protein sources. Little is known about the water footprint; only one study indicates that it is more efficient to obtain protein from mealworms rather than from traditional farmed animals (121) . One of the major advantages is that a number of insect species can be reared on organic side streams.…”

Section: Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Edible insects are the future?

2016

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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.

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“…The water footprint per edible ton of mealworms is 4341 m 3 /t, which is comparable to that of chicken meat and 3.5 times lower than that of beef ( Figure 1E) [25]. The energy used to produce 1 kg of fresh mealworms is similar to that used in the production of beef and pork, but the land area required was much less compared with beef, chicken and pork [26].…”

Section: Environmentally Sustainable Production For Human Foodmentioning

confidence: 59%

“…The mass rearing of animals has a negative environmental impact by producing large amounts of greenhouse gas [23], de Vries and de Boer [24], Miglietta et al [25], Oonincx and de Boer [26], and Sánchez-Muros et al [27].…”

Section: Environmentally Sustainable Production For Human Foodmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Grau

Vilcinskas

Joop

2017

Zeitschrift Für Naturforschung C

139

100

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Abstract:The farming of edible insects is an alternative strategy for the production of protein-rich food and feed with a low ecological footprint. The industrial production of insect-derived protein is more cost-effective and energy-efficient than livestock farming or aquaculture. The mealworm Tenebrio molitor is economically among the most important species used for the large-scale conversion of plant biomass into protein. Here, we review the mass rearing of this species and its conversion into food and feed, focusing on challenges such as the contamination of food/feed products with bacteria from the insect gut and the risk of rapidly spreading pathogens and parasites. We propose solutions to prevent the outbreak of infections among farmed insects without reliance on antibiotics. Transgenerational immune priming and probiotic bacteria may provide alternative strategies for sustainable insect farming.

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Mealworms for Food: A Water Footprint Perspective

Cited by 150 publications

References 30 publications

The environmental sustainability of insects as food and feed. A review

The environmental sustainability of insects as food and feed. A review

Edible insects are the future?

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

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