Edible Insects versus Meat—Nutritional Comparison: Knowledge of Their Composition Is the Key to Good Health

Recently, attention has been drawn to the fact that increasing the consumption of edible insects may positively impact the state of the natural environment and reduce the problem of malnutrition in large parts of society. Indeed, insects are seen as an alternative to traditional meat products, primarily meat. This article aimed to compare the nutritional value of edible insects and meat. Based on tables of composition and nutritional value and on the licensed computer program Diet 6D, data on the nutritional value of 10 commonly consumed meat types were compiled. Based on a literature review, data on the nutritional value of seven commercially available edible insect species were collected and collated. There was a comparison of 100 g of edible insects with 100 g of meat (fresh weight). In addition, the atherogenic index thrombogenic index, the hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio, and the nutritional quality index were calculated. It was found that both meat and insects are rich in nutrients, including those considered essential for the proper development and functioning of the human body. At the same time, it has been shown that the content of individual nutrients in both insects and meat varies significantly.

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What's eating North America's edible insect industry? An examination of psychological, cultural and regulatory barriers

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1017/s1742170521000314 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-4

Author(s):

Christl Li ◽

Sean B. Cash ◽

Julie Lesnik ◽

Timothy S. Griffin ◽

Joel Mason ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nutritional Value ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Human Consumption ◽

Edible Insects ◽

The European Union ◽

Edible Insect ◽

The Us ◽

Structural Barrier ◽

Regulatory Barriers ◽

Specific Regulation

Abstract Although research has demonstrated the positive nutritional value and environmental benefits associated with edible insect consumption, several factors challenge the growth and development of the edible insect industry for human consumption in the US and Canada. Cultural and psychological factors account for much of the aversion US and Canadian consumers display. The absence of specific regulation also constitutes a structural barrier to more widespread production and sale of edible insects. Compared to the US, the European Union has a more developed edible insect industry and has enacted legislation that removes some of the barriers. As consumer awareness of the putative health benefits of edible insects increases, more comprehensive regulations may emerge to keep pace with the growth of this industry. Overall, a multi-disciplinary approach that addresses both benefits and barriers to consumption is needed to facilitate a robust market for edible insects in the US and Canada.

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Consumers’ Attitudes Facing Entomophagy: Polish Case Perspectives

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17072427 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (7) ◽

pp. 2427 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Agnieszka Orkusz ◽

Wioletta Wolańska ◽

Joanna Harasym ◽

Arkadiusz Piwowar ◽

Magdalena Kapelko

Keyword(s):

Nutritional Value ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Production Costs ◽

Edible Insects ◽

Psychological Barriers ◽

Edible Insect ◽

Meat Substitute ◽

Willingness To Adopt ◽

Main Factors ◽

Insects As Food

Based on high nutritional value and low production costs, edible insects are an excellent and sustainable source of animal proteins. However, completely replacing meat with edible insects requires a change in consumer mentality not only in Poland, but also in other European countries. In western countries, most people reject eating insects, mainly for cultural reasons. Concerning this, the objective of the study was to examine the knowledge, behavior, and attitudes of the Polish community about edible insects and to understand the main factors driving edible insect consumption. The study was held at the Wroclaw University of Economics and Business, Poland and consisted of two parts: The survey (among 464 students) and the tasting session (among 402 participants). The main findings suggest that there is low willingness to adopt edible insects as a meat substitute among Polish students due to the psychological barriers, such as neophobia and disgust. However, the willingness to eat processed insect food (bread, biscuit) is far higher than for unprocessed whole insects. Environmental benefits are the factors that least affected students’ willingness to try edible insects. Additionally, the tasting session of the bread with powdered insects was attended by the vast majority of participants, which indicates that a positive sensory experience can improve the acceptability of insects as food.

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Quantification of Essential Fatty Acids and Assessment of the Nutritional Quality Indexes of Lipids in Tilapia Alevins and Juvenile Tilapia Fish (Oreochromis niloticus)

Journal of Food Research ◽

10.5539/jfr.v3n3p105 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 105 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Ivane Benedetti Tonial ◽

Debora Francielly Oliveira ◽

Alexandre Rodrigo Coelho ◽

Makoto Matsushita ◽

Fabio Augusto Garcia Coró ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acids ◽

Nutritional Quality ◽

Essential Fatty Acids ◽

Juvenile Fish ◽

Atherogenic Index ◽

Total Lipids ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Thrombogenic Index ◽

Quality Indexes

<p>To determine the nutritional quality of the lipid segment in tilapia (<em>Orechromis niloticus</em>) during different periods of development (alevins and juveniles), the total lipids (TL), linolenic (LNA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA), docosapentaenoic (DHA), linoleic (LA) and arachidonic (AA) acids were quantified , and the lipid nutritional quality indexes were calculated for the tilapia. The lipid profile showed that the species present high indexes of monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in both development phases. The indexes of nutritional quality of lipids, atherogenic index (AI) and thrombogenic index (TI) present low values and represent beneficial health effects, both in the alevin and juvenile fish. The quantifications of LNA, EPA, DHA, LA and AA show the greatest values (mg/g of total lipids) for the juveniles. However, regardless of the development phase in which the tilapia is, the fish may be considered a source of essential fatty acids a kind of potential and nutritional food, reflecting beneficial effects for consumer’s health.</p>

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The Effects of Processing and Preservation Technologies on Meat Quality: Sensory and Nutritional Aspects

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods9101416 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 1416

Author(s):

Inmaculada Gómez ◽

Rasmi Janardhanan ◽

Francisco C. Ibañez ◽

María José Beriain

Keyword(s):

Nutritional Quality ◽

Nutritional Value ◽

Sensory Quality ◽

Meat Products ◽

High Pressure Processing ◽

Processed Meat ◽

Physical Methods ◽

Sensorial Quality ◽

Sous Vide

This review describes the effects of processing and preservation technologies on sensory and nutritional quality of meat products. Physical methods such as dry aging, dry curing, high pressure processing (HPP), conventional cooking, sous-vide cooking and 3D printing are discussed. Chemical and biochemical methods as fermentation, smoking, curing, marination, and reformulation are also reviewed. Their technical limitations, due to loss of sensory quality when nutritional value of these products is improved, are presented and discussed. There are several studies focused either on the nutritional or sensorial quality of the processed meat products, but more studies with an integration of the two aspects are necessary. Combination of different processing and preservation methods leads to better results of sensory quality; thus, further research in combinations of different techniques are necessary, such that the nutritional value of meat is not compromised.

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Problems of ensuring metrological traceability of measurement results of indicators of quality for food products and food raw materials

Izmeritel`naya Tekhnika ◽

10.32446/0368-1025it.2020-3-64-70 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 64-70

Author(s):

Mariya Y. Medvedevskikh ◽

Anna S. Sergeeva

Keyword(s):

Reference Materials ◽

Mass Fraction ◽

Nutritional Value ◽

Animal Feed ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Meat Products ◽

Metrological Traceability ◽

Food Products ◽

Freeze Dried ◽

Measurement Results

The article raises the problem of ensuring metrological traceability of the measurement results of indicators of quality and nutritional value for food products and food raw materials: water (moisture), nitrogen (protein, crude protein), fat, ash and carbohydrates. The problem under consideration can be solved by applying reference materials of food composition, traceable to state primary measurement standards GET 173-2017 and GET 176-2019 and primary reference measurement procedures (PRMP), for attestation of measurement procedures and accuracy checking of measurement results. The article discusses the results of the PRMP development of mass fraction of fat, ash and carbohydrates in food products and food raw materials, as well as mass fraction of crude fat (oil content) in oil crops seeds and products based on them. The paper also presents metrological characteristics of reference materials of composition of dry dairy products, grain-milk dry porridges for nutrition of babies, grain dry porridges for nutrition of babies, egg powder, freeze-dried meat products, animal feed. The results of the work allow for building a chain of metrological traceability from GET 173-2017, GET 176-2019 and PRMP to routine measurement procedures, thereby ensuring the uniformity of measurements of nutritional value of food products.

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Edible insects and their acceptance in Western Societies

Journal of Gastronomy and Tourism ◽

10.3727/216929720x15968961037917 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Pijus Jauniskis ◽

Eleni Michopoulou

Keyword(s):

Intellectual Development ◽

Cultural Knowledge ◽

Edible Insects ◽

Insect Development ◽

Edible Insect ◽

Tourism Product ◽

Tourism Experience ◽

Cultural Sphere ◽

Self Discovery ◽

Tourism And Hospitality

This paper examines current literature on edible insect consumption in western culture through an inductive lens, addressing environmental, nutritional, food security, anthropological and psychological aspects of the topic. Findings show that western aversion towards edible insects is deeply psychological and cultural, mostly ignoring the pleasure dimensions such as taste, texture and flavour. The nature of the problem appears to be predominantly social. Results suggest that a beneficial route of introducing edible insects into the western diet could be formed through a societal perspective. Tourism and hospitality can potentially play a big part in the edible insect development. For instance, food as a tourism product can attract visitors from different backgrounds whilst food consumption as a tourism experience subliminally promises an experience of novelty and potential newfound pleasure in food. Food as an integral part of various cultures and local heritages entails local dishes that can be considered ‘cultural artifacts’ and their consumption symbolises the consumption of ‘other’. Tourism experiences can expose an individual to lasting personal change, self-discovery and intellectual development. Hence, taking into consideration that acquiring new cultural knowledge increases openness to experience, it is possible that tourism could contribute to adopting the practice of insect consumption in the western cultural sphere.

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Insect Allergens on the Dining Table

Current Protein and Peptide Science ◽

10.2174/1389203720666190715091951 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 159-169 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kyoung Yong Jeong ◽

Jung-Won Park

Keyword(s):

Food Processing ◽

Adverse Reactions ◽

Arginine Kinase ◽

House Dust Mites ◽

Food Allergies ◽

Edible Insects ◽

Dust Mites ◽

Edible Insect ◽

Respiratory Allergies ◽

Inhalant Allergens

Edible insects are important sources of nutrition, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Recently, edible insects have gained considerable interest as a possible solution to global exhaustion of the food supply with population growth. However, little attention has been given to the adverse reactions caused by insect consumption. Here, we provide an overview of the food allergens in edible insects and offer insights for further studies. Most of the edible insect allergens identified to date are highly cross-reactive invertebrate pan-allergens such as tropomyosin and arginine kinase. Allergic reactions to these allergens may be cross-reactions resulting from sensitization to shellfish and/or house dust mites. No unique insect allergen specifically eliciting a food allergy has been described. Many of the edible insect allergens described thus far have counterpart allergens in cockroaches, which are an important cause of respiratory allergies, but it is questionable whether inhalant allergens can cause food allergies. Greater effort is needed to characterize the allergens that are unique to edible insects so that safe edible insects can be developed. The changes in insect proteins upon food processing or cooking should also be examined to enhance our understanding of edible insect food allergies.

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Edible Insects: Preliminary Study about Perceptions, Attitudes, and Knowledge on a Sample of Portuguese Citizens

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods10040709 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 709

Author(s):

Sofia G. Florença ◽

Paula M. R. Correia ◽

Cristina A. Costa ◽

Raquel P. F. Guiné

Keyword(s):

Nutritive Value ◽

Meat Products ◽

Regression Tree ◽

Good Alternative ◽

Classification And Regression Tree ◽

Categorical Variables ◽

Final Conclusion ◽

Edible Insects ◽

Chi Square ◽

Alternative Sources

This study investigated the knowledge, attitudes, consumption habits, and degree of acceptability of edible insects (EI) or derived products among Portuguese consumers. This work consisted of a questionnaire survey, undertaken on a sample of 213 participants. For the treatment of data, basic descriptive statistics were used, complemented with chi-square tests to assess some associations between categorical variables. Moreover, a tree classification analysis was carried out using a classification and regression tree (CRT) algorithm with cross-validation. The results indicated that people tend to have correct perceptions about the sustainability issues associated with the use of insects as alternative sources of protein; however, the level of knowledge and overall perception about their nutritive value is low. Regarding the consumption of EI, it was found that only a small part of the participants had already eaten them, doing it mostly abroad, by self-initiative, in a restaurant or at a party or event. Additionally, it was found that the reluctance to consume insects is higher if they are whole, but when they are transformed into ingredients used in food formulations, the level of acceptance increases. Furthermore, men have shown to have a better perception about EI, be more informed about sustainability, and have a higher level of acceptability when compared to women. As a final conclusion, it was observed that the Portuguese still show some resistance to adhere to the use of insects as replacements for meat products, but the market of insect based products can be a good alternative to overpass the neophobia associated with this type of food.

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The role of edible insects to mitigate challenges for sustainability

Open Agriculture ◽

10.1515/opag-2020-0206 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 24-36

Author(s):

Raquel P. F. Guiné ◽

Paula Correia ◽

Catarina Coelho ◽

Cristina A. Costa

Keyword(s):

Nutritional Value ◽

Animal Feed ◽

World Population ◽

Edible Insects ◽

Strong Component ◽

Human Food ◽

The World ◽

Food And Feed ◽

Recent Trends

Abstract This review is focused on the utilization of insects as a new opportunity in food and feed products, including their commercialization both in traditional and new markets. It has been suggested that insects are considerably more sustainable when compared with other sources of animal protein, thus alleviating the pressure over the environment and the planet facing the necessity to feed the world population, constantly increasing. Many chefs have adhered to the trend of using insects in their culinary preparations, bringing insects to the plan of top gastronomy, highlighting their organoleptic qualities allied to a recognized high nutritional value. However, in some markets, insects or insect-based products are not readily accepted because of neophobia and disgust. Moreover, the insect markets, farming, and commercialization are experiencing a huge growth, in which the domain of animal feed is undoubtedly a very strong component. The future of insects as human food and animal feed seems promising in view of the recent trends and challenges.

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Possibilities of the Development of Edible Insect-Based Foods in Europe

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods10040766 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 766

Author(s):

Magdalena Skotnicka ◽

Kaja Karwowska ◽

Filip Kłobukowski ◽

Aleksandra Borkowska ◽

Magdalena Pieszko

Keyword(s):

Material Processing ◽

Functional Food ◽

The Other ◽

Raw Material ◽

Edible Insects ◽

Mineral Salts ◽

Edible Insect ◽

Alternative Protein ◽

The World ◽

The One

All over the world, a large proportion of the population consume insects as part of their diet. In Western countries, however, the consumption of insects is perceived as a negative phenomenon. The consumption of insects worldwide can be considered in two ways: on the one hand, as a source of protein in countries affected by hunger, while, on the other, as an alternative protein in highly-developed regions, in response to the need for implementing policies of sustainable development. This review focused on both the regulations concerning the production and marketing of insects in Europe and the characteristics of edible insects that are most likely to establish a presence on the European market. The paper indicates numerous advantages of the consumption of insects, not only as a valuable source of protein but also as a raw material rich in valuable fatty acids, vitamins, and mineral salts. Attention was paid to the functional properties of proteins derived from insects, and to the possibility for using them in the production of functional food. The study also addresses the hazards which undoubtedly contribute to the mistrust and lowered acceptance of European consumers and points to the potential gaps in the knowledge concerning the breeding conditions, raw material processing and health safety. This set of analyzed data allows us to look optimistically at the possibilities for the development of edible insect-based foods, particularly in Europe.

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