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Edible Insects: A New Sustainable Nutritional Resource Worth Promoting

Edible insects are a highly nutritious source of protein and are enjoyed by people all over the world. Insects contain various other nutrients and beneficial compounds, such as lipids, vitamins and minerals, chitin, phenolic compounds, and antimicrobial peptides, which contribute to good health. The...

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Autores principales: Li, Mengjiao, Mao, Chengjuan, Li, Xin, Jiang, Lei, Zhang, Wen, Li, Mengying, Liu, Huixue, Fang, Yaowei, Liu, Shu, Yang, Guang, Hou, Xiaoyue
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10670618/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38002131
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/foods12224073
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author Li, Mengjiao
Mao, Chengjuan
Li, Xin
Jiang, Lei
Zhang, Wen
Li, Mengying
Liu, Huixue
Fang, Yaowei
Liu, Shu
Yang, Guang
Hou, Xiaoyue
author_facet Li, Mengjiao
Mao, Chengjuan
Li, Xin
Jiang, Lei
Zhang, Wen
Li, Mengying
Liu, Huixue
Fang, Yaowei
Liu, Shu
Yang, Guang
Hou, Xiaoyue
author_sort Li, Mengjiao
collection PubMed
description Edible insects are a highly nutritious source of protein and are enjoyed by people all over the world. Insects contain various other nutrients and beneficial compounds, such as lipids, vitamins and minerals, chitin, phenolic compounds, and antimicrobial peptides, which contribute to good health. The practice of insect farming is far more resource-efficient compared to traditional agriculture and animal husbandry, requiring less land, energy, and water, and resulting in a significantly lower carbon footprint. In fact, insects are 12 to 25 times more efficient than animals in converting low-protein feed into protein. When it comes to protein production per unit area, insect farming only requires about one-eighth of the land needed for beef production. Moreover, insect farming generates minimal waste, as insects can consume food and biomass that would otherwise go to waste, contributing to a circular economy that promotes resource recycling and reuse. Insects can be fed with agricultural waste, such as unused plant stems and food scraps. Additionally, the excrement produced by insects can be used as fertilizer for crops, completing the circular chain. Despite the undeniable sustainability and nutritional benefits of consuming insects, widespread acceptance of incorporating insects into our daily diets still has a long way to go. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the nutritional value of edible insects, the development of farming and processing technologies, and the problems faced in the marketing of edible insect products and insect foods to improve the reference for how people choose edible insects.
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spelling pubmed-106706182023-11-09 Edible Insects: A New Sustainable Nutritional Resource Worth Promoting Li, Mengjiao Mao, Chengjuan Li, Xin Jiang, Lei Zhang, Wen Li, Mengying Liu, Huixue Fang, Yaowei Liu, Shu Yang, Guang Hou, Xiaoyue Foods Review Edible insects are a highly nutritious source of protein and are enjoyed by people all over the world. Insects contain various other nutrients and beneficial compounds, such as lipids, vitamins and minerals, chitin, phenolic compounds, and antimicrobial peptides, which contribute to good health. The practice of insect farming is far more resource-efficient compared to traditional agriculture and animal husbandry, requiring less land, energy, and water, and resulting in a significantly lower carbon footprint. In fact, insects are 12 to 25 times more efficient than animals in converting low-protein feed into protein. When it comes to protein production per unit area, insect farming only requires about one-eighth of the land needed for beef production. Moreover, insect farming generates minimal waste, as insects can consume food and biomass that would otherwise go to waste, contributing to a circular economy that promotes resource recycling and reuse. Insects can be fed with agricultural waste, such as unused plant stems and food scraps. Additionally, the excrement produced by insects can be used as fertilizer for crops, completing the circular chain. Despite the undeniable sustainability and nutritional benefits of consuming insects, widespread acceptance of incorporating insects into our daily diets still has a long way to go. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the nutritional value of edible insects, the development of farming and processing technologies, and the problems faced in the marketing of edible insect products and insect foods to improve the reference for how people choose edible insects. MDPI 2023-11-09 /pmc/articles/PMC10670618/ /pubmed/38002131 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/foods12224073 Text en © 2023 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Review
Li, Mengjiao
Mao, Chengjuan
Li, Xin
Jiang, Lei
Zhang, Wen
Li, Mengying
Liu, Huixue
Fang, Yaowei
Liu, Shu
Yang, Guang
Hou, Xiaoyue
Edible Insects: A New Sustainable Nutritional Resource Worth Promoting
title Edible Insects: A New Sustainable Nutritional Resource Worth Promoting
title_full Edible Insects: A New Sustainable Nutritional Resource Worth Promoting
title_fullStr Edible Insects: A New Sustainable Nutritional Resource Worth Promoting
title_full_unstemmed Edible Insects: A New Sustainable Nutritional Resource Worth Promoting
title_short Edible Insects: A New Sustainable Nutritional Resource Worth Promoting
title_sort edible insects: a new sustainable nutritional resource worth promoting
topic Review
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10670618/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38002131
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/foods12224073
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