Physicochemical and Sensory Characteristics of Sausages Made with Grasshopper (Sphenarium purpurascens) Flour

Insects are currently of interest due to their high nutritional value, in particular for the high concentration of quality protein. Moreover, it can also be used as an extender or binder in meat products. The objective was to evaluate grasshopper flour (GF) as a partial or total replacement for potato starch to increase the protein content of sausages and achieve good acceptability by consumers. GF has 48% moisture, 6.7% fat and 45% total protein. Sausages were analyzed by NIR and formulations with GF in all concentrations (10, 7, 5 and 3%) combined with starch (3, 5 and 7%) increased protein content. Results obtained for the sausages formulations with grasshoppers showed an increase in hardness, springiness, gumminess and chewiness through a Texture-Profile-Analysis. Moreover, a* and b* are similar to the control, but L* decreased. The check-all-that-apply test showed the attributes highlighted for sausages with GF possessed herbal flavor, brown color, and granular texture. The liking-product-landscape map showed that the incorporation of 7 and 10% of GF had an overall liking of 3.2 and 3.3, respectively, considered as “do not like much”. GF can be used as a binder in meat products up to 10% substitution. However, it is important to improve the overall liking of the sausage.