2. What is Entomophagy
⢠Entomophagy is the practice of
eating insects for food.
Entomophagy is found in many
different taxonomic groups.
There are many insects, birds,
reptiles, amphibians, and
mammals that benefit from
eating insects (Wikipedia).
⢠Aside from humans,
chimpanzees, aardvarks, bears,
moles, shrews, and bats are a
few other mammals that eat
insects. Insects that eat other
insects are known as assassin
bugs or ambush bugs (Bryant).
⢠Entomophagy is the term used for people that eat insects. Even though it is generally looked
down upon in the United States, many countries value insects for their nutritional value, as well
as for their taste (Wikipedia).
from the back left to the front: locusts, bamboo worms, moth chrysalis,
crickets, scorpions, diving beetles and giant water beetles
3. History of Entomophagy
⢠Eating insects has been going on in human culture for quite some time. Cave
paintings have shown us that ancient civilizations ate insects. Caves in Altamira,
Spain show people collecting wild bee nests (Wikipedia).
⢠In the bible, Moses is recored saying that eating locust, crickets, and grasshoppers
was acceptable under jewish laws (Roberts). It also mentions that John the Baptist
survived for months in the desert living off locust and honey (Bryant).
⢠The Greeks and Romans both ate insects. Records state that they ate locust and
beetle larva. Ancient Greeks ate grasshoppers and cicadas. Aristotle wrote they
tasted best between molts, and that females with eggs were very good. (II.G.15.
Insects. Cambridge World History of Food). Some grubs were fattened with grain
before eaten (Pope).
⢠Native Americans ate insects as well. In the western United States, Native Americans
collected the larva of the Pandora moth, grasshoppers, and Mormon crickets for food.
Grasshoppers and crickets were roasted and ground together with pine nuts, grass
seeds, and berries to make cakes which were sun dried and stored. Considered a
delicacy by Native Americans and early European settles, these cakes were called
âdesert fruitcakesâ (II.G.15. Insects. Cambridge World History of Food).
4. Nutritional Value of Entomophagy
⢠A great number of the insects able to be eaten, contain large amounts of lysine. Lysine is
an amino acid that is often missing in the diets of people in third world nations who eat a
lot of grains and vegetables (An Acquired Taste). Many insects also have fairly high
concentrations of tryptophan, another essential amino acid. Humans need to get both of
these amino acids in their diets because their bodies can not make them (Raloff).
⢠Insects are a good source of protein, vitamins,
minerals and fats. Most insects are good sources of
iron and zinc, and contain vitamins like thiamine
and riboflavin. Crickets are a good source of
calcium (Bryant).
⢠Most lipids in bugs are long
chain unsaturated fats,
where typical livestock
contains unhealthy saturated
fats (Raloff).
5. ⢠Termites, beetle grubs, and caterpillars are high in fat
and calories. Most insects that people eat have a greater
caloric value than beef, corn, wheat, and soybeans (An
Acquired Taste).
⢠Caterpillars, lean ground
beef, and the fish cod have
comparable levels of
protein. The caterpillars are
a better source of iron than
the beef or fish.
Caterpillars are also high in
thiamine and niacin, which
are vitamins B1 and B3
(Bryant).
6. Insect
Protein
(g)
Fat
(g)
Carbohydrates
(g)
Calcium
(mg)
Iron (mg)
giant water beetle 19.8 8.3 2.1 43.5 13.6
red ant 13.9 3.5 2.9 47.8 5.7
silk worm pupae 9.6 5.6 2.3 41.7 1.8
dung beetle 17.2 4.3 0.2 30.9 7.7
cricket 12.9 5.5 5.1 75.8 9.5
large grasshopper 20.6 6.1 3.9 35.2 5.0
small grasshopper 14.3 3.3 2.2 27.5 3.0
june beetle 13.4 1.4 29 22.6 6.0
caterpillar 28.2 n/a n/a n/a 35.5
termite 14.2 n/a n/a n/a 35.5
weevil 6.7 n/a n/a n/a 13.1
beef (lean ground) 27.4 n/a n/a n/a 3.5
fish (broiled cod) 28.5 n/a n/a n/a 1.0
Nutritional Value of Insects per 100 Grams
7. Why is Entomophagy Looked Down Upon in
the United States
⢠In America, people claim insects carry disease and are unsafe to eat.
Insects can carry disease, but many people forget that animals are
just as capable of carrying diseases (Raloff).
⢠Insect eating may have a bad reputation in western culture because
people think all insects are poisonous. Only a handful of insects are
actually poisonous and entomophagists say to stay away from hairy,
spiny, or brightly colored insects (An Acquired Taste).
⢠Since eating insects was a large part of early hunting and
gathering societies, it is possible people in the United States look
at eating insects as primitive (MacEvilly). This taboo against
eating insects held by the western culture could also come from
the belief held by the european settlers that eating insects was a
bad thing (Bryant).
8. ⢠It is interesting that people in the United States eat lobsters, crabs, and shrimp, close relatives
of spiders and insects, but want nothing to do with eating insects. Spiders, insects and
lobsters are all classified as arthropods. This means jointed feet. European settlers originally
classified the lobster as an insect and now it is a delicacy. These creatures of the sea are
scavengers, eating mostly dead fish and debris. Insects eat mostly plants. Lobsters and crabs
are much dirtier than most insects (Bryant).
cricket
lobster, which looks a lot like an insect
9. Disadvantages of Entomophagy
⢠One concern with eating insects is
the current use of pesticides. Since
insects eat plants, pesticides and
herbicides can build up inside the
insects through bioaccumulation.
This happens when the insects eat
sprayed plants. This means wild
insects would not be edible in areas
where any type of chemical
spraying is going on (Wikipedia).
⢠Another concern with eating
insects is the possibility of people
having allergic reactions. People
with nut or shellfish allergies should
avoid eating insects because they
have been known to trigger
reactions (MacEvilly).
10. Just because we do not knowingly eat bugs in the United
States, that does not mean we are not eating bugs...
In fact, the United States Food and Drug Administration
does not have laws prohibiting insects or insect parts in
food for human consumption. Instead there are laws
stating the maximum acceptable amount of insects and
insect parts allowed in foods (An Acquired Taste).
In fact, the United States Food and Drug Administration
does not have laws prohibiting insects or insect parts in
food for human consumption. Instead there are laws
stating the maximum acceptable amount of insects and
insect parts allowed in foods (An Acquired Taste).
11. Product
Type of Insect
Contamination
Maximum Permissible Level of Insect
Contamination
Canned sweet corn
Insect larvae
(corn ear worms
or corn borers)
2 or more 3 mm or longer larvae, cast skins, larval
or cast skin fragments, the aggregate length of
insects or insect parts exceeds 12 mm in 24 pounds
Canned citrus juices Insects and insect
eggs
5 or more Drosophila and other fly eggs per 250 ml
or 1 or more maggots per 250 ml
Wheat flour Insect filth Average of 150 or more insect fragments per
100 grams
Frozen broccoli Insects and mites Average of 60 or more aphids and/or thrips and/or
mites per 100 grams
Hops Insects Average of more than 2,500 aphids per 10 grams
Ground thyme Insect filth Average of 925 or more insect fragments per
10 grams
Ground nutmeg Insect filth Average of 100 or more insect fragments per
10 grams
United States Food and Drug Administrations policy on the maximum permissible
levels of insect contamination in food products for human consumption (Wikipedia)
chart (Wikipedia)
12. Bugs We Already
Eat
⢠Insects have been used in foods
we eat for quite some time with
very few people even knowing
about it (Youso).
⢠The dried and crushed bodies of the female
cochineal insect are used to add color to foods
(Youso).
⢠This red, pink, and purple color is used to
color ice cream, yogurts, fruit juices, candies
and more (Youso).
cochineal insects on prickly pear
13. ⢠The shellac insect, which is in the same family as the cochineal insect secretes a substance called lac. This lac protects the
eggs until they hatch and then it is harvested. Used in food products it is called confectioner's glaze, resinous glaze, pure
food glaze and natural glaze. This product is used in many candies to make them shiny and keep them from sticking together
(Youso).
⢠Itâs also used to make fruit, such as apples, shiny again once it has been cleaned (Youso).
These candies contain insect ingredients. Nerds contain carmine, the
dye made from the cochineal insect. Good & Plenty contain carmine
and shellac. The last example contains shellac.the nymph stage of the shellac insect
14. ⢠Honey is made from bees collecting nectar and
storing it in their bodies, in a special area called
a honey stomach. Its kept here until the bee goes
back to the hive. Back at the hive the nectar is
regurgitated into the mouth of hive bees. The
hive bees then partially digest the nectar with
enzymes and by vomiting it back and forth
between other hive bees. These enzymes break
down complex sugars giving honey the ability to
last a long time. Lastly the nectar is vomited
into a honey comb when it becomes to thick to
spoil. Here it finishes drying out with the help of
the bees beating wings (Gang).
⢠Honey is an insect product that
many people use, but few know
more about it other than that it
comes from honey bees.
Honey
15. Entomophagy is Good for the Environment
⢠Raising insects for food is beneficial to the environment because they need less land
and less resources than traditional livestock such as chicken, pigs, and cows. Insects
donât need grain grown to feed them, like cows and pigs do. They also require much
less resources. Very little water is needed to produce 1/3 of a pound (150g) of
grasshoppers compared to the 869 gallons needed to produce the same amount of
beef (Glausiusz).
⢠Insects are cold blooded so they donât need to use energy to maintain a constant body
temperature like warm blooded animals (Wikipedia). This allows more of the food
they eat to be used for building edible body parts (Walsh).
⢠Insects can also eat a wide variety of plants that typical farm animals will not.
Insects can eat cacti, bamboo shoots, mesquite and woody scrub brush. These plants
are useless in raising traditional meat animals (Raloff).
⢠Insects can be raised sustainably. Entomologists along with agricultural extension
agents at Khon Kaen University in Thailand developed low cost cricket farming
techniques and offered training to local residents. Currently 15,000 families around
Thailand raise crickets (Raloff).
16. Insects as Mini-Livestock
⢠Insects are also able to be raised
in small environments which
means more land could be put to
better use instead of just raising
animals on it. Besides this,
insects have a higher food
conversion efficiency compared
to most other sources of meat.
This is measured as efficiency of
conversion of ingested food, or
ECI (Wikipedia).
⢠Silk worms ECI ranges from 19
to 31, compared to beef cattle
which have an ECI of 10
(Wikipedia).
⢠Mini-livestock refers to the raising of small animals as food, and this includes insects. The idea behind this is what insects eat.
They do not need to eat grains, so that allows more grain for human consumption (Wikipedia). A report released by the United
Nations in 2006 reported that livestock production was responsible for 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. This
was more than what was produced by transportation world wide (Glausiusz).
silk worms: the all white trays
are hungry, and the green trays
have just been fed.
silk worms in the pupa stage where
they are harvested to eat and the
cocoon is used to make silk
17. ⢠Insects generally have an energy input to protein output ration of 4:1, compared to normal
livestock with a ration of 54:1 (Wikipedia).
⢠Insects also reproduce much quicker than animals. A female cricket can lay between 1,200
and 1,500 in a three to four week period. The eggs hatch in about two weeks, and the
cricket will be full grown in about six more (Wikipedia).
a cricket farm
⢠Crickets, ants,
grasshoppers and
giant water bugs are a
few insects farmed in
Thailand (Raloff).
Scorpions are also
raised on farms for
human consumption
and medicinal uses.
18. Types of Insects Eaten
⢠There are approximately 1,417 species of insects
that can be eaten. Some insects are eaten in their
adult form. Many are eaten while in the larva
stage, such as palm grubs, and in the pupa stage,
like wasp pupa (Bryant).
⢠There are an estimated 234 species of
butterflies and moths eaten, as well as
344 species of edible beetles, and 314
species of wasps, ants, and bees that
people can eat. There are 239 species
of grasshoppers, crickets and
cockroaches eaten, as well as other
insects (Wikipedia).
silk worm pupa
fried giant water bug
19. ⢠Other insects eaten
include termites,
cicadas, dragonflies, and
stick insects. Butterflies
and moths are mostly
eaten in the larva stage
(II.G.15. Insects."
Cambridge World
History of Food).
⢠In some countries scorpions and spiders, such as
tarantulas, are eaten. Spiders and scorpions are
not insects, but they are related to insects
because they all belong to a bigger group called
arthropods (Bryant).
fried spiders
fried scorpions
21. Insects Eaten in Central and South
America
⢠In colombia the giant queen ants of the genus Atta are considered a delicacy.
Palm grubs and caterpillars are also eaten ( II.G.15. Insects Cambridge World
History of Food).
chapulines or fried grasshoppers
maguey worms, ant
larva, and fried
grasshoppers
⢠In Mexico an estimated 1,700 species of insects are eaten. A popular dish is the maguey worm, which is actually the larva a
butterfly (Raloff). Seasoned grasshoppers are eaten called Chapulines (Glausiusz). Other species of insects eaten include
crickets, cicadas, ants, flies, bees, and wasps (II.G.15. Insects. Cambridge World History of Food).
22. Insects Eaten in Asia
⢠The giant water beetle is a favorite in
Thailand and Laos. The water beetle is
said to taste like gorgonzola cheese
(II.G.15. Insects Cambridge World
History of Food). It is eaten roasted,
whole, and ground into a paste for
making sauces (Bryant).
⢠Some insects eaten in asia include
grasshoppers, crickets, silk worm pupa,
dragonflies, termites, and beetles (II.G.15.
Insects World History of Food). Crickets are
often cooked in with rice, and sometimes dry
roasted for snacks. Larvae are eaten in soups,
stews, and stir fried meals (Bryant).
crickets on a stick
giant water beetles
23. ⢠In northern Thailand, bee brood is prepared to eat by wrapping the entire honeycomb in banana
leaves and steaming it. At least five species of bees and wasp larva are eaten (II.G.15. Insects
Cambridge World History of Food). In fact the demand for bees and wasps is greater than any
other insect. This is due to the high demand in countries like China and Japan. Here wasps are
often eaten raw or with boiled rice and they are sold in department stores in glass jars
(MacEvilly).
dinner containing wasp larva and young wasps
24. Insects Eaten in Africa
⢠Caterpillars are a popular snack in Africa. The
mopane worm, which is actually a caterpillar, is
eaten fried, dried, stewed in tomatoes, and even
raw. Some rural Africans even prefer these
caterpillars to meat (II.G.15. Insects Cambridge
World History of Food).
⢠A large number of people in Africa eat insects. In the late
1980s a survey showed that 69% of Africans ate
caterpillars or lived in a house where someone ate them
(II.G.15. Insects Cambridge World History of Food).
More recently a UN study showed that 85% of participants
in the Central African Republic ate Caterpillars. 70% of
participants in the Congo and 91% in Botswana eat
caterpillars (Kloosterman).
cooked mopane worms
dinner of mopane worms
25. ⢠Locusts are also eaten. Female locusts are preferred to males.
They are high in protein and fat, and a soup is made from the
eggs (II.G.15. Insects Cambridge World History of Food).
termites to be cooked, then eaten
⢠Termites are eaten during the beginning of the rainy season.
The reproductive forms fly in swarms and are easily collected.
Its interesting to note that termites were so valued as food at
one time, that their mounds were fought over. Local people
learned when these swarms would fly from the mound and
began covering the mounds to collect the termites. Termites
are high in fat, protein, and lysine. People eat them roasted,
raw, and fried (II.G.15. Insects Cambridge World History of
Food).
⢠Palm grubs are consumed in Africa and sometimes they are
raised for the purpose of eating them. Palm grubs are eaten
fried, stewed, grilled and occasionally boiled inside of
coconuts (II.G.15. Insects Cambridge World History of Food).
26. Insects Eaten in the Pacific Islands
⢠In Papua New Guinea, palm grubs are eaten
wrapped in banana leaves and roasted
(Roberts). Three species of palm grubs are
eaten regularly (II.G.15. Insects Cambridge
World History of Food).
⢠In New Guinea they eat eat grasshoppers,
crickets, two species of stick insects, and two
species of mantids. They also eat the female of
a species of locust (II.G.15. Insects Cambridge
World History of Food).
⢠Termites are also eaten. The
sexual winged forms are
preferred which are higher in
fat content. Macrotermes is
the predominant species
eaten, and they are caught
when they fly into fires,
burning their wings (II.G.15.
Insects Cambridge World
History of Food).
termitepalm grubs
27. Insects Eaten in Australia
⢠Australian Aborigines eat honey pot ants. These ants
are called black honey ants. The worker ants body
swells to the size of a grape and is filled with nectar.
Digging up these ants is a traditional practice still
taught to children (II.G.15. Insects Cambridge World
History of Food).
⢠Witchety grubs, which are the larva of moths, are a
popular food in Australia. They eat these grubs raw and
cooked. When cooked they are said to taste like
roasted almonds (Bryant).
⢠Entrepreneurs in Australia have started
introducing insects to the commercial food
market. Honey ants, witchetty grubs which
are the larvae of the cossid moth, bardi grubs
which are the larvae of the cerambycid
beetle, and trigona bees are all considered
delicacies in Australia. Many of the
resturants in Australia have insects listed on
their menus (II.G.15. Insects Cambridge
World History of Food).
witchetty grubs
honey pot ants
28. The Future of Entomophagy
⢠The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization is looking at insects as a food
source for the future. A report by Paul Vantomme called insects âthe forgotten food
crop.â In areas of the world with large populations of poor and disadvantaged people,
entomophagy is being encouraged (Roberts).
⢠Eating insects is very sustainable and healthy for the environment since raising them
does not require large amounts of land or other resources (Roberts).
⢠Dutch scientists are using
biotechnology to produce
large quantities of insect
cells in containers. These
cells are being looked at
as a possible source of
protein that could be
added to breads or
molded into âpseudo-
burgersâ (Raloff).
Bug Hors dâoeuvres
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