Nutrient Absorption of Edible Insects Measures up to Beef

27 Oct 2016 --- How about swapping beef with bugs? As more sustainable alternatives to eating meat and fish continue to trend, research into the nutrient levels of edible insects like grasshoppers and crickets reveals eating bugs could provide as much iron and other nutrients as consuming beef.

A new study examines how the nutrients, particularly iron, provided by such insects really measures up to beef - and finds that bugs actually do fill that dietary need.

Dr Yemisi Latunde-Dada (pictured below), lecturer at the Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences Division Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine at King’s College, London, tells FoodIngredientsFirst how grasshoppers, crickets, mealworms and buffalo worms were analyzed for their mineral contents. The team estimated how much each nutrient would likely get absorbed if eaten, by using a lab model of human digestion.

“Mineral levels and solubility (an index of availability) were determined in the insects. Cell culture model was used to measure absorption,” Dr Latunde-Dada says.

The insects had varying levels of iron, calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese and zinc. Crickets, for example, had higher levels of iron than the other insects did. Minerals including calcium, copper and zinc from grasshoppers, crickets and mealworms are more readily available for absorption than the same minerals from beef.

“The idea for initiating the project came about while I was listening to a statement, made at the Conference of the Parties (COP) at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting that was held in Paris last December, which advocated human consumption of insects for protein as an alternative to animals.”

“The study suggests that commonly consumed insect species could be an excellent source of bioavailable iron and could provide for an alternative strategy for increased mineral intake in the diets of humans.”

Edible bugs have long been included in diets outside of the Western world and the study - which was recently published in the ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry - also says that 1,900 insect species have been documented as a global food source as it’s well established they are a source of protein.

However, if the Western world is to truly embrace eating insects, particularly as an alternative to meat and fish, more research is needed to show how species can provide more nutrients like iron. This would help the credentials of consuming insects especially to boost the diets of non-meat eaters as iron is an important nutrient that is often missing in non-meat diets, causing iron-deficiency anemia which can lead to lower cognition, immunity, poor pregnancy outcomes and a host of other problems.

In light of these concerns, Dr Latunde-Dada and colleagues wanted to find out whether commonly eaten insects could contribute to a well-rounded meal. The results therefore support the idea that eating bugs could potentially help meet the nutritional needs of the world's growing population.

“Edible bugs could be used as composite mixes, i.e. incorporated with plant food sources eg in cakes and biscuits to increase mineral levels and absorption. The ultimate research aim is to conduct dietary intervention studies with human volunteers to measure iron absorption from insects in human populations,” she adds.

“A lot more research is needed to define the iron compounds in insects and components that might enhance iron absorption.”

by Gaynor Selby