scholarly journals Entomophagy: Insects as Food

10.5772/67384 ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Tiencheu ◽  
Hilaire Macaire Womeni
Keyword(s):  
Insects As Food

Information and taste interventions for improving consumer acceptance of edible insects: a pilot study

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
E. Woolf ◽  
C. Maya ◽  
J. Yoon ◽  
S. Shertukde ◽  
T. Toia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Protein Source ◽  
Consumer Acceptance ◽  
Edible Insects ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Educational Session ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Insects As Food

Insects are a sustainable protein source with poor consumer acceptance in developed countries. An Eating Insects Conference and Tasting Demonstration was hosted with a goal of promoting consumption of edible insects. The event consisted of an educational session that provided information about entomophagy followed by a cooking and tasting demonstration of edible insects. Pre- and post-intervention surveys were conducted to assess the effect of the event on participants’ acceptance of entomophagy. Forty-three attendees completed the surveys. After attending the event, participants felt more knowledgeable about entomophagy, which positively correlated with willingness to consume edible insects. Participants who believed that entomophagy is sustainable were more willing to consume edible insects than those who did not. Although all participants consumed insects at the tasting demonstration, those with prior consumption experiences had significantly higher post-intervention willingness scores, indicating repeated exposures may be necessary for improving consumer acceptance of edible insects. The event raised awareness of using insects as food and provided useful information for developing effective interventions to promote insect consumption.

scholarly journals Forage-Fed Insects as Food and Feed Source: Opportunities and Constraints of Edible Insects in the Tropics

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Andrea Espitia Buitrago ◽  
Luis Miguel Hernández ◽  
Stefan Burkart ◽  
Neil Palmer ◽  
Juan Andrés Cardoso Arango
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Insect Species ◽  
Edible Insects ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Tropical Forages ◽  
Insects As Food ◽  
The Tropics

Farmed insects can provide an alternative protein source for humans, livestock, and fish, while supporting adaptation to climate change, generating income for smallholder farmers, and reducing the negative impacts of conventional food production, especially in the tropics. However, the quantity, nutritional quality and safety of insects greatly relies on their feed intake. Tropical forages (grasses and legumes) can provide a valuable and yet untapped source of feed for several farmed insect species. In this perspective paper, we provide a viewpoint of how tropical forages can support edible insect production. We also highlight the potential of tropical forage-based diets over those using organic agricultural or urban by-product substrates, due to their versatility, low cost, and lower risk of microbial and chemical hazards. The main bottlenecks relate to dependence on the small number of farmed insect species, and in public policy and market frameworks regarding the use of edible insects as food, feed and in industrial processes. This perspective will serve interested stakeholders in identifying urgent issues at the research, ethical, marketing and policy levels that can prevent the emergence of new, insect-based value chains and business models, and the nutritional, economic and environmental benefits they promise.

Insects as food: A review on risks assessments of Tenebrionidae and Gryllidae in relation to a first machines and plants development

Food Control ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 108 ◽  
pp. 106877 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessio Cappelli ◽  
Enrico Cini ◽  
Chiara Lorini ◽  
Noemi Oliva ◽  
Guglielmo Bonaccorsi
Keyword(s):  
Insects As Food

scholarly journals Consumers’ Attitudes Facing Entomophagy: Polish Case Perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 2427 ◽  
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.

Determinants of willingness to eat insects in the USA and India

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.B. Ruby ◽  
P. Rozin ◽  
C. Chan
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Sensation Seeking ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Substantial Proportion ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Risk Of Disease ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Insects As Food ◽  
Major Impediment ◽  
Favourite Food

One of the major, if not the major impediment to large scale increases of human insect consumption, is the strong rejection of insects as food by most of the world’s population. In an effort to understand this aversion, we surveyed online samples of adults living in the USA and India to participate in a study on ‘attitudes toward food’. A substantial proportion of both Americans (72%) and Indians (74%) were at least willing to consider eating some form of insect food. Men were more willing to try eating insects than were women, especially in the USA. Disgust seems to be the most common reaction of both groups at the prospect of eating insects. The most common perceived benefits of eating insects were related to nutrition and environmental sustainability, and the most common risks related to risk of disease and illness. Both groups find ants the most palatable of a set of seven possible insects, and cockroaches the most unpalatable. In both samples, participants were most amenable to eating low levels of insect flour in a favourite food, and most averse to consuming whole insects. The best predictors of insect acceptance were disgust at the thought of eating insects, beliefs about the benefits of eating insects, sensation seeking, and the enjoyment of telling others about consumption of unusual foods.

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