*Role of Edible Insects as Food Source to Combat Food Security Challenges – Innovative… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.106809*

essential nutrients. Insects have gained much attention in food sector because of their protein enrichment, high mineral, and vitamin content, and the unique ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid value [10]. In most cases, edible insect proteins meet WHO essential amino acid content standards [9]. Furthermore, the digestive capacity of insect proteins is more than plant-based proteins like peanuts and lentils (53%), but less than animal-based proteins like beef and egg have 100% capacity.

Insect proteins are particularly appealing because they produce less greenhouse gas and ammonia, perhaps making them more environmentally benign [11]. Furthermore, because they are relatively quick, easy, and cheap to farm, they provide a new and accessible commercial potential for underdeveloped countries, making them the overall best alternative for ensuring food security with the world's evergrowing population [12]. Insect proteins offer a lot of good qualities, such as excellent nutritional content, and digestibility, and they are also environmentally beneficial. Furthermore, for including them in a variety of foods, their functional qualities must be properly evaluated at each stage of the development phase. In general, insects have apparent nutritional advantages. Their nutritional profiles are remarkably comparable to that of traditional animal meals [13]. Not only for humans but also for poultry, they offer huge potential as a source of nutrients and active chemicals.

Animal protein is abundant in all phases of the life of insects. It has been proposed that insects are significantly more sustainable when compare with other sources of animal protein, thus alleviating the pressure on the environment and the planet facing the need to full fill the feed the worldwide population, constantly increasing [14]. Bioactive compounds such as antioxidant agents, insulin regulators, and anti-inflammatory peptides are high-value products that can be obtained from insects [15].

The amino acid profiles of edible insects vary, which is indicated in **Table 1**. Although their amino acid contents are usually similar, edible insects typically contain more crude protein than regular meat. They can deliver vital amino acids at an appropriate level as food, with a digestibility of 76 to 96 percent [20]. The World Health Organization has reported the amino acid composition of certain edible insects (WHO 2007). Methionine, cysteine, and tryptophan are all missing or present in extremely little amounts in some insects. If these insects make up the majority of a meal, the diet must be balanced. Aside from these species, insects generally meet the WHO's amino acid recommendations. By ingesting a suitable variety of items, the majority of them can offer enough amounts of essential amino acids. With enough isoleucine, leucine, lysine, phenylalanine, threonine, valine, arginine, histidine, and tyrosine, all groups are qualified. When compared to other insects, Blattodea has the highest concentration of lysine, valine, methionine, arginine, and tyrosine. Coleoptera has a higher concentration of leucine than other protein sources, including animals. Similarly, Hemiptera has a higher concentration of phenylalanine than any other known protein source. Nymphs are usually the most plentiful source of nearly all sorts of amino acids when compared to edible insects at other stages [12]. They possess high arginine content that strengthens the immune system and enhances blood vessel and health function. Beef and pork are more prevalent in arginine as it is in cockroach nymphs i.e., *Blatta lateralis*.

Insects have a lot of lipids in them. The fatty acid content of several edible insects varies greatly. Aside from the acids indicated in **Table 2**, trace amounts of additional acids, such as odd-numbered fatty acids, even-numbered saturated fatty acids, and some unsaturated fatty acids, have been detected in some insects. These acids are thought to be insignificant. On a dry weight basis, the fat content of insects in embryonic stages ranges from 8 to 70%. Different sources of meat, including all groups of


*Ile Isoleucine, Leu Leucine, Lys Lysine, Met Methionine, Cys Cysteine, Phe Phenylalanine, Tyr Tyrosine, Thr Threonine, Trp Tryptophan, Val Valine, Arg Arginine, His Histidine. The data were summarized by the following references: [9, 13, 16–19].*

## **Table 1.**

*Amino acid content of common edible insects (% in crude protein of dry weight).*

insects, have identical fatty acid contents [23]. Lepidopteran and Heteropteran larvae have a higher fat content than other edible insects. When compared to insects at other stages, an excellent reservoir of fatty acid is larvae. Adults are generally slender, with a fat level of less than 20%. Triacylglycerol is the most common type of fat found in insects [16]. More than 80% of all fats are made up of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). Palmitic acid and stearic acid make up the majority of SFAs in insects at various times. Adults' SFA levels are often greater than MUFA levels, despite the latter being healthier for human diets. In insects, oleic acid, a prevalent monounsaturated fatty acid in the human diet, has the highest concentration of MUFAs. It aids in the reduction of blood pressure in humans and has significant potential in the treatment of inflammatory, immunological, and cardiovascular illnesses [24]. In contrast to pork, beef, and insects at previous stages, adult insects are the greatest site of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) with the risk of surpassing SFAs as food.

Insects are also excellent providers of vitamins and minerals. Biochemical substances such as vitamins A, B1–12, C, D, E, and K, which are required for normal

*Role of Edible Insects as Food Source to Combat Food Security Challenges – Innovative… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.106809*


*SFA saturated fatty acids: C14:0, myristic acid; C16:0, palmitic acid; C18:0, stearic acid. MUFA: C16:1 n7 – palmitoleic acid; C18:1 n9 – oleic acid. PUFA: C18:2 n6 – linoleic acid; C18:3 n3 – α-linolenic acid. The average data of each order are bold. The data were summarized by the following references: [9, 13, 16–18, 21, 22].*

## **Table 2.**

*Fat content (%) of common edible insects (% in crude fat of dry weight).*

growth and health, could be provided by them [17]. Caterpillars, for example, are particularly high in B1, B2, and B6 [9]. Vitamins A and D are abundant in bee brood (pupae) [25]. *Rhynchophorus ferrugineus*, the red palm weevil, is high in vitamin E. [26]. Edible insects include a wide range of micronutrients, including iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, and zinc [9]. Mineral elements are found in varying amounts in different insects. Most insects have a low calcium content (less than 100 mg/g dry matter), while larvae of house flies and adults of melon bugs have a high calcium content. Immature insects such as pupae and larvae are preferred as food sources because they are abundant in amino acids and fatty acids. These nutrients not only give high nutritious value but also provide a unique splendid flavor [27].

In addition to humans, edible insects also provide the best feed source for aquaculture and livestock. Fowls fed on grains are less nutritional than the fowls that are fed on insects, which provide a good protein source [28]. Moreover, they can also be used as a feed source in areas where the vegetable feed is costly [29]. Soy diet feeding of farmed insects is extremely expensive, yet insect food can provide efficient nourishment at minimum cost. Proteins are more sustainable by recycling biomass during insect production [30]. Yellow mealworms have long been utilized as a source of food [31].

However, while edible insects have been marketed as an environmentally benign protein source in the West, eating insects is still seen as a sign of poverty in underdeveloped countries where entomophagy is a traditional practice. This may be seen in

many Asian nations, such as Mexico, where insect ingestion is popular in urban and tourist regions but outlawed in rural ones. Despite the high desire for edible insects, their planting and harvesting are still restricted because farmers fail to recognize their nutritional worth [32]. A successful plan must be considered to boost the inclusion of insects in everyday diets.
