Affordable Processing of Edible Orthopterans Provides a Highly Nutritive Source of Food Ingredients
2021
Forkwa Tengweh Fombong | John Kinyuru | Jeremiah Ng’ang’a | Monica Ayieko | Chrysantus Mbi Tanga | Jozef Vanden Broeck | Mik Van Der Borght
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: Gryllus bimaculatus, Locusta migratoria, and Schistocerca gregaria 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 G. bimaculatus, L. migratoria, and S. gregaria, respectively) and fat contents. Oleic (22.9&ndash:40.8%) and palmitic (26.1&ndash:43.0%) were the two most abundant fatty acids. All essential amino acids (in mg/100 g protein) were present, with glutamic acid (120&ndash:131), alanine (90.2&ndash:123), and leucine (82.3&ndash:84.6) being the most abundant. The minerals (in mg/100 g dry matter) potassium (796&ndash:1309) and phosphorus (697&ndash:968) were moderately high, and iron (4.60&ndash:7.31), zinc (12.7&ndash:24.9), manganese (0.40&ndash:7.15), and copper (1.20&ndash:4.86) were also observed in the samples. Vitamin B12 contents were high (0.22&ndash:1.35 µ:g/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.
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