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Insects as Food and Feed: Insights into Safety, Sustainability and...
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Insects as Food and Feed: Insights into Safety, Sustainability and Health Benefits

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Security and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 14829

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Andrea M. Liceaga

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Protein Chemistry and Bioactive Peptides Laboratory, Department of Food Science, Purdue University, 745 Agriculture Mall Dr., West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
Interests: emerging/novel proteins; sustainable protein sources; bioactive peptides; sensory evaluation
Dr. Christine J. Picard

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology & Director, Forensic & Investigative Sciences, Program, Indiana University-Purdue Univ.-Indiana, 723 W. Michigan Street, SL 206, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
Interests: genetics; entomology; genetic diversity
Dr. Heather Jordan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
Interests: microbial pathogenesis; microbial ecology; insect-microbe interactions; one-health approaches; environmental pathogens; non-tuberculosis mycobacteria
Dr. Jeffery K. Tomberlin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Interests: decomposition ecology with applications in forensics and insects as food and feed

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The recent COVID-19 pandemic drastically affected food supply chains worldwide, showing the vulnerability of food security. The need to consider alternative protein sources that can help alleviate global food shortage problems while protecting the environment should be prioritized. In addition, due to the increasing population and worldwide demand for meat and dairy, future land use and food availability is unsustainable. Moving forward, we need to re-evaluate the strategies employed to grow food and the types of food we grow/consume. Evidence indicates that insects have potential to become a valuable protein source and are widely recognized as sustainable sources of animal protein. Insects’ remarkable nutritional value (e.g., high-quality protein, unsaturated fats, vitamins, and minerals), comparable or even higher than conventional livestock, has placed them in the spotlight within the food and feed industry sectors. Market trends show a global increase in the number of food-grade insect producers, forecasting the global market for edible insects to reach USD 8 billion by the year 2030.

Nevertheless, the safety, sustainability, and potential health benefits surrounding insects remains largely unexplored. In this topic, we welcome high-quality, multidisciplinary research contributions related to sustainable insect rearing for food and feed, safety aspects (microbial, toxicological, allergenicity, etc.) related to insect rearing for food and feed, health benefits related to the consumption of insects, beyond basic nutritional quality (bioactive properties of phenolics, proteins, peptides, chitin, chitosan, etc.), and potential economic and environmental impacts from such an industry.

Dr. Andrea M Liceaga
Dr. Christine J. Picard
Dr. Heather Jordan
Dr. Jeffery K. Tomberlin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • insect rearing
  • safety
  • sustainability
  • bioactive properties
  • economic enhancements

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1223 KiB  
Article
Influence of Different Diets on Growth and Nutritional Composition of Yellow Mealworm
by Anna Bordiean, Michał Krzyżaniak, Marek Aljewicz and Mariusz Jerzy Stolarski
Foods 2022, 11(19), 3075; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11193075 - 4 Oct 2022
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4310
Abstract
Insects are a pathway through which agro-food waste can become a high-quality source of nutrients for both livestock and humans. Yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L., Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) larvae are currently one of the insect species permitted for consumption, and they are reared [...] Read more.
Insects are a pathway through which agro-food waste can become a high-quality source of nutrients for both livestock and humans. Yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L., Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) larvae are currently one of the insect species permitted for consumption, and they are reared on a large scale in Europe. This study evaluated the effect of seven diets containing byproducts such as wheat, rye bran, rapeseed meal, rapeseed cake, flax, and milk thistle cakes on the insect’s growth performance, feed conversion ratio (FCR), efficiency of conversion of ingested feed (ECI), nutritional quality of the larvae, and the composition of fats and fatty acids they contained. The lowest FCR based on the fresh and dry basis was 3.32 and 2.01, respectively. The ECI values were statistically different for larvae reared on different experimental diets (mean value 45.7%). As for the nutritional profile, protein and fats ranged from 43.6 to 53.4% d.m. and from 22.3 to 30.0% d.m., respectively. The major fatty acids in all samples were oleic acid (32.97–46.74% of total fatty acids (TFA)), linoleic acid (22.79–38.98% of TFA), and palmitic acid (12.80–17.81% of TFA). This study offers a new opportunity to use and efficiently convert cheap industrial byproducts using yellow mealworms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insects as Food and Feed: Insights into Safety, Sustainability and Health Benefits)
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18 pages, 3131 KiB  
Article
A Novel Strategy for the Production of Edible Insects: Effect of Dietary Perilla Seed Supplementation on Nutritional Composition, Growth Performance, Lipid Metabolism, and Δ6 Desaturase Gene Expression of Sago Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) Larvae
by Khanittha Chinarak, Worawan Panpipat, Atikorn Panya, Natthaporn Phonsatta, Ling-Zhi Cheong and Manat Chaijan
Foods 2022, 11(14), 2036; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11142036 - 9 Jul 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1893
Abstract
The nutritional value, growth performance, and lipid metabolism of sago palm weevil larvae (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, SPWL) raised on plant-based diets (soybean, rice bran, and ground sago palm trunk (GSPT)), supplemented with various concentrations (0, 3, 7, 15, and 20%) of perilla [...] Read more.
The nutritional value, growth performance, and lipid metabolism of sago palm weevil larvae (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, SPWL) raised on plant-based diets (soybean, rice bran, and ground sago palm trunk (GSPT)), supplemented with various concentrations (0, 3, 7, 15, and 20%) of perilla seed (PS) were compared with traditional diets i.e., regular GSPT (control) and GSPT supplemented with pig feed. All supplemented diets rendered SPWL with higher lipid and protein contents (p < 0.05). Supplementing with 7–20% PS enhanced α-linoleic acid content in SPWL, resulting in a decrease in the n-6:n-3 ratio to a desirable level. Dietary PS supplementation increased Δ9 (18), total Δ9 and Δ5 + Δ6 desaturase indexes, fatty acid (FA) unsaturation, and the polyunsaturated FA:saturated FA ratio in SPWL, while lowering atherogenicity index, thrombogenicity index, and Δ6 desaturase (fads2) gene expression. Boosting with 7% PS improved the majority of growth parameters and enhanced essential amino acid and mineral contents (p < 0.05). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insects as Food and Feed: Insights into Safety, Sustainability and Health Benefits)
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17 pages, 4790 KiB  
Article
Development of Healthy Protein-Rich Crackers Using Tenebrio molitor Flour
by Anna Djouadi, Joana Rides Sales, Maria Otília Carvalho and Anabela Raymundo
Foods 2022, 11(5), 702; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11050702 - 26 Feb 2022
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4970
Abstract
Entomophagy is still a widespread practice in Africa and Asia, although it is declining due to the westernization of diets. Today, the issue of its rehabilitation is underway; indeed, the nutritional economic and ecological stakes of this consumption are strategic. It can be [...] Read more.
Entomophagy is still a widespread practice in Africa and Asia, although it is declining due to the westernization of diets. Today, the issue of its rehabilitation is underway; indeed, the nutritional economic and ecological stakes of this consumption are strategic. It can be considered an important way to face the scarcity of natural resources, environmental pressures due to the increasing world population, and demand for protein. Tenebrio molitor larvae flour was recently approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as a novel food. The aim of the present work was to create protein-rich healthy cracker from insect flour, achieving the claim “source of protein” with a target market focused on the healthy products for consumption on the go. Contents of T. molitor flour from 2 to 20% (%w/w) were tested, using a previously optimized formulation and the comparison in terms of nutritional, physical, and sensory properties with a standard formulation was performed. T. molitor incorporation allowed an improvement in the nutritional profile of snacks, through an increase of 15% in protein content and an enrichment in minerals (namely potassium, phosphorus, copper, and zinc). The crackers containing a 6% of insect flour were the most appreciated by the panelists. The incorporation of T. molitor induced a reduction in firmness and an increase in crispness, resulting from the impact of the protein on the structure. This aspect has a positive impact with respect of the acceptance of snacks—70% of the panelists consider the possibility to buy the crackers with 6% enrichment. A darkening of the samples with the increase in the incorporation of T. molitor flour was also observed, accompanied by a reduction of about 20% of the L* values. Globally, insect protein can play an important role in redesigning food diets, making them more sustainable, with less environmental impact and equally balanced. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insects as Food and Feed: Insights into Safety, Sustainability and Health Benefits)
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11 pages, 509 KiB  
Article
Targeted Phenolic Characterization and Antioxidant Bioactivity of Extracts from Edible Acheta domesticus
by Maria Catalina Nino, Lavanya Reddivari, Mario G. Ferruzzi and Andrea M. Liceaga
Foods 2021, 10(10), 2295; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10102295 - 28 Sep 2021
Cited by 39 | Viewed by 2797
Abstract
With entomophagy gaining popularity in the Western hemisphere as a solution for future food insecurity, research on alternative protein sources, such as edible insects, has become relevant. Most of the research performed on insects has been on their nutritional qualities; however, little is [...] Read more.
With entomophagy gaining popularity in the Western hemisphere as a solution for future food insecurity, research on alternative protein sources, such as edible insects, has become relevant. Most of the research performed on insects has been on their nutritional qualities; however, little is known regarding bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, that, if present in the insect, could provide additional benefits when the insect is consumed. In this study, methanolic extracts of Acheta domesticus from two farms and their corresponding feeds were obtained using a microwave-assisted extraction. Targeted phenolic characterization was accomplished through LC-MS/MS leading to the identification of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and syringic acid as major phenolic compounds in both A. domesticus extracts. Furthermore, the in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical cation (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical assays demonstrating the superior quenching activity of the A. domesticus extracts compared to the feeds. The discovery of phenolic compounds in A. domesticus implies the ability of this insect species to sequester and absorb dietary phenolics leading to possible added health benefits when consumed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insects as Food and Feed: Insights into Safety, Sustainability and Health Benefits)
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