Affordable Processing of Edible Orthopterans Provides a Highly Nutritive Source of Food Ingredients
Edible orthopterans (grasshoppers, crickets, and locusts) are major delicacies, especially across sub-Saharan Africa. Their promotion as food ingredients is increasingly gaining momentum. This study evaluates the nutritional profiles of three widely consumed orthopterans: <i>Gryllus bimaculatu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Foods |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/1/144 |
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| author | Forkwa Tengweh Fombong John Kinyuru Jeremiah Ng’ang’a Monica Ayieko Chrysantus Mbi Tanga Jozef Vanden Broeck Mik Van Der Borght |
| author_facet | Forkwa Tengweh Fombong John Kinyuru Jeremiah Ng’ang’a Monica Ayieko Chrysantus Mbi Tanga Jozef Vanden Broeck Mik Van Der Borght |
| author_sort | Forkwa Tengweh Fombong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Edible orthopterans (grasshoppers, crickets, and locusts) are major delicacies, especially across sub-Saharan Africa. Their promotion as food ingredients is increasingly gaining momentum. This study evaluates the nutritional profiles of three widely consumed orthopterans: <i>Gryllus bimaculatus</i>, <i>Locusta migratoria</i>, and <i>Schistocerca gregaria</i> after blanching and oven-drying. All three species had high protein (65.3, 54.2, and 61.4% on a dry matter (DM) basis for <i>G. bimaculatus</i>, <i>L. migratoria</i>, and <i>S. gregaria</i>, respectively) and fat contents. Oleic (22.9–40.8%) and palmitic (26.1–43.0%) were the two most abundant fatty acids. All essential amino acids (in mg/100 g protein) were present, with glutamic acid (120–131), alanine (90.2–123), and leucine (82.3–84.6) being the most abundant. The minerals (in mg/100 g dry matter) potassium (796–1309) and phosphorus (697–968) were moderately high, and iron (4.60–7.31), zinc (12.7–24.9), manganese (0.40–7.15), and copper (1.20–4.86) were also observed in the samples. Vitamin B<sub>12</sub> contents were high (0.22–1.35 µg/100 g dry matter). Our findings demonstrate that the excellent nutritional profile of the three processed insects could serve as promising alternative ingredients for improving food and nutritional security. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:05:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e378f1cc09904e28a721d1ce9eef7301 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:05:31Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj.art-e378f1cc09904e28a721d1ce9eef73012023-12-03T12:55:52ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582021-01-0110114410.3390/foods10010144Affordable Processing of Edible Orthopterans Provides a Highly Nutritive Source of Food IngredientsForkwa Tengweh Fombong0John Kinyuru1Jeremiah Ng’ang’a2Monica Ayieko3Chrysantus Mbi Tanga4Jozef Vanden Broeck5Mik Van Der Borght6Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction lab, Division of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59 Box 2465, 3000 Leuven, BelgiumDepartment of Food Science and Technology, Juja (Main) Campus, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, P.O. Box 62,000, Nairobi 00200, KenyaDepartment of Food Science and Technology, Juja (Main) Campus, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, P.O. Box 62,000, Nairobi 00200, KenyaSchool of Agricultural and Food Science, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, Bondo-Usenge Road, P.O. Box 210, Bondo 40601, KenyaInternational Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi 00100, KenyaMolecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction lab, Division of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59 Box 2465, 3000 Leuven, BelgiumLab4Food, Department of Microbial & Molecular Systems, KU Leuven, Kleinhoefstraat 4, B-2440 Geel, BelgiumEdible orthopterans (grasshoppers, crickets, and locusts) are major delicacies, especially across sub-Saharan Africa. Their promotion as food ingredients is increasingly gaining momentum. This study evaluates the nutritional profiles of three widely consumed orthopterans: <i>Gryllus bimaculatus</i>, <i>Locusta migratoria</i>, and <i>Schistocerca gregaria</i> after blanching and oven-drying. All three species had high protein (65.3, 54.2, and 61.4% on a dry matter (DM) basis for <i>G. bimaculatus</i>, <i>L. migratoria</i>, and <i>S. gregaria</i>, respectively) and fat contents. Oleic (22.9–40.8%) and palmitic (26.1–43.0%) were the two most abundant fatty acids. All essential amino acids (in mg/100 g protein) were present, with glutamic acid (120–131), alanine (90.2–123), and leucine (82.3–84.6) being the most abundant. The minerals (in mg/100 g dry matter) potassium (796–1309) and phosphorus (697–968) were moderately high, and iron (4.60–7.31), zinc (12.7–24.9), manganese (0.40–7.15), and copper (1.20–4.86) were also observed in the samples. Vitamin B<sub>12</sub> contents were high (0.22–1.35 µg/100 g dry matter). Our findings demonstrate that the excellent nutritional profile of the three processed insects could serve as promising alternative ingredients for improving food and nutritional security.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/1/144edible insectsEast Africacomplementary foodsprocessingprotein qualityfat quality |
| spellingShingle | Forkwa Tengweh Fombong John Kinyuru Jeremiah Ng’ang’a Monica Ayieko Chrysantus Mbi Tanga Jozef Vanden Broeck Mik Van Der Borght Affordable Processing of Edible Orthopterans Provides a Highly Nutritive Source of Food Ingredients Foods edible insects East Africa complementary foods processing protein quality fat quality |
| title | Affordable Processing of Edible Orthopterans Provides a Highly Nutritive Source of Food Ingredients |
| title_full | Affordable Processing of Edible Orthopterans Provides a Highly Nutritive Source of Food Ingredients |
| title_fullStr | Affordable Processing of Edible Orthopterans Provides a Highly Nutritive Source of Food Ingredients |
| title_full_unstemmed | Affordable Processing of Edible Orthopterans Provides a Highly Nutritive Source of Food Ingredients |
| title_short | Affordable Processing of Edible Orthopterans Provides a Highly Nutritive Source of Food Ingredients |
| title_sort | affordable processing of edible orthopterans provides a highly nutritive source of food ingredients |
| topic | edible insects East Africa complementary foods processing protein quality fat quality |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/1/144 |
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