Why these edible insects are good for your health

Forget beans and eggs for your daily fix of protein or carrots and spinach for the much-needed vitamins. Scientists have identified 1,900 species of insects it says are rich in protein and vitamins and, therefore, good for human consumption.

The profile lays down highly-nutritious insect delicacies being slowly introduced into the food systems including beetles, butterflies, moths, bees, wasps, ants, grasshoppers, crickets, tree bugs and many others.

In a report on a session published on the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) website dated September 20, 2018, insects are said to contain high quality protein and amino acids.

“There are more than 1,900 edible insect species and the most important ones are in the orders of beetles, butterfly and moths, bees, wasps and ants, grasshoppers and crickets, termites, true bugs, and cicadas,” the report published on FAO website notes.

In Africa, 250 insect species are said to be edible, 549 in Mexico and 180 in China.

Reliable figures, the organisation says, mention the consumption of 250 insect species in Africa. The insects range from caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles and many others.

Insects, the reports notes, are healthy-nutritious alternatives to chicken, pork, beef and even fish due to their rich protein and good fats, high in calcium, iron and zinc.

And whereas insects were consumed ages ago, the delicacies are making a comeback, forming a traditional part of many regional and national diets.

In many countries in Africa, termites are considered a delicacy. They are consumed both as main and side dishes, or simply eaten as snack foods after they have been de-winged, fried and sun-dried. Fried or dried termites contain 32–38 per cent proteins.

Long-horned grasshopper is also edible, and a common food source in many parts of eastern and southern Africa. Caterpillars too, are among the world’s most diverse groups of edible insects.

In a 2013 report by FAO, the most commonly consumed insects are beetles contributing 31 per cent of most consumed followed by caterpillars that form 18 per cent. Wasps and bees too are consumed in large numbers.

Grasshoppers, locusts and crickets, leaf hoppers, termites and dragon flies  also contribute to the wide list of edible insects. Some species of flies, although edible, are also least consumed, forming 2 per cent of insects being consumed.

“Insects are highly-nutritious and healthy food source with high fat, protein, vitamin, fibre and mineral content. The nutritional value of edible insects is highly-variable because of the wide range of edible insect species,” the report notes.

The recent high demand and consequent high prices for fish meal coupled with increasing aquaculture production has also spurred researches on the development of insect protein for aquaculture and poultry.

Insect-based feed products, FAO notes, could have a similar market to fish meal which are presently the major components used in feed formulae for aquaculture and livestock.

Live and dead insects are also establishing niche markets, mainly as feed given to pets.

According to Nairobi-based International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology,(Icipe) the use of insects as alternative sources of food for human consumption and feed for livestock, has captured the imagination of the global research and the general public. This, Icipe notes, is because insects reproduce quickly, have high growth and feed conversion rates and low environmental impact. The organisation estimates that the practice of insect consumption is carried out by more than 2 billion people and 2000 species are reported as food.

“Across Africa, commonly consumed species include beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, termites, cicadas, wasps and ants. This sustainable food source should be managed in the interest of food and nutrition security,” Icipe notes. The most edible insects, the organisation notes,are only seasonally available and have a short shelf life, thus various harvesting and preservation methods are practised.