Grasshoppers:
Food Security & Nutrition
Aman Paul1, Sabine Danthine1, Michel Frederich2, Roel Uyttenbroeck1 & Frederic Francis1
1Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (Belgium)2Department of Pharmacy, University of Liege (Belgium)
International Conference on
Food Technology : Impact on Nutrition and Health ( ICFIN-2013)
Contents
• Concept- Entomophagy• Eating Grasshoppers• Multifarious Aspects• Edible Species of Grasshoppers in Belgium• Lab Rearing of Grasshoppers• Protein & Fat Content of Lab Reared Species• Conclusion
Entomophagy
Consumption of insects as human food
Over 1900 insect species are popularly eaten in many parts of the world
Important source of proteins, lipids and some minor components
High social value to people who believe they have good nutritive and pharmaceutical properties
Heavily influenced by local cultural and religious practices
Eating Grasshoppers
• About 80 species of grasshoppers are edible and consumed worldwide• They have lots of qualities: most important being primary consumers,
univoltines, constitute enormous biomass, etc.• They not only serve as an important source of proteins and lipids but
also some minor components like vitamins and minerals• Average nutrient composition of grasshoppers is shown below:
Nutrient Composition
Protein (N=40)Fat (N=38)Fibre (N=38)NFE (N=36)Ash (N=38)
Eating Grasshoppers (Continued…)
Proteins
• Average protein content is 63.93%
• They are also an important source of essential amino acids
Fats
• Average fat content is 11.38% (R. differens: 48% being highest)
• They are a rich source of PUFA
Vitamins & Minerals
• They are source of magnesium and zinc
• R. differens is a good source of α- tocopherol, riboflavin and folic acid
Multifarious Aspects
Nutrition Environment Zoonotic Infection
Water Requirement Feed Conversion Ratio % Edibility
Green House Gas
Production
Crickets (1.7)
Poultry (2.5)
Beef (10)
Crickets Poultry Beef
80% 55% 40%
Edible Species of Grasshoppers in Belgium
Conocephalus discolor
Chorthippus parallelus
Chorthippus brunneus
Chorthippus biguttulus
Tettigonia viridissima
Lab Rearing of Grasshoppers
Parameters
Temperature: 28°C
Humidity: 65%
Light: 12L-12D light hours (100 W bulb)
Collection of EggStorage of eggs
The eggs are stored in two phases:1. Four weeks at 30°C2. 16 weeks at 5°C
Then the eggs are again brought at room temperature for hatching
For Laying Eggs Sieving
Protein & Fat Content of Lab Reared Species
Lipid Content
7.00% (Dry Weight)
13.07% (Dry Weight)
Protein Content (Dumas Method)
77.80% (Dry Weight)
78.41% (Dry Weight)
Product Protein %
Whole Milk 3.15Whole Egg 12.56
Beef 23.07
Cooked Salmon 25.44
Chicken 28.04
Sour
ceU
SFDA
Chorthippus parallelus
Conocephalus discolor
Method: Lipid extraction was done by a cold extraction technique using 2:1 chloroform/methanol as solvent
Conclusion
About 80 species of grasshoppers are consumed worldwide, which not only serve as an important source of proteins & fats but also minor components such as vitamins and minerals.
Apart from being nutritionally superior to most conventional meats their production results in -lower emission of greenhouse gases & ammonia, -risk of zoonotic infections in humans is much lower, -water requirement for production is much less and -have higher feed conversion ratio.
Lab rearing of grasshopper can be done to produce considerable amount of biomass enough for human consumption.
The two edible grasshopper species Conocephalus discolour and Chorthippus parallelus have -13.0% & 7.0% fat content and -78.4 % & 77.8% proteins content respectively (on dry weight)