Many years ago I attended the Southern African Physiological Society (PSSA) conference in Pretoria where I got my first glimpse of the seriousness of insect protein as a source of nutrition for humans.
A professor from Zambia Copperbelt University presented his findings on the nutritional content of various insects. His presentation earned my utmost attention given his strong focus on the protein and amino acid content of the insects. I could hear the “oohs” and “aahs” from almost everyone in audience.
A couple of years later I formulated feed for racing pigeons for a top South African competitive team. The owner, a South African farmer and agronomer who wanted to put his birds on a special diet and he needed some assistance in creating a formula.
This project got me introduced to a high-protein meal made from fly maggots that’s intended for animal feed use. The product was called Magmeal and made by a Cape Town-based firm. While working the nutritional content, I was impressed by the amount of nutrients in the product. It had an excellent amino acid profile, fat content and trace mineral content. Needless to say, the racing pigeons loved it and were breaking all sorts of records.
Insect Protein: loved by Mauritians
Hey, sometimes we find the stuff that other people love to eat repulsive, without realising that others may qualify the food we love to eat as repulsive too!
One good example is the Mauritian yellow wasp larvae, an example of an insect protein. Looks disgusting but one of the most incredibly tasty and flavourful things ever.
To quote an article published in the Journal Nature.
“Entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, is not new however; it has been recorded throughout human history across the globe. Today, insects are regularly consumed by approximately 2 billion people spread across 80% of the world’s populations in 130 countries. Edible insects are gaining traction in North America and Europe, in addition to regions that traditionally practice entomophagy”
Source: Proudly Mauritius Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/proudlymru
Insect Protein powder: the protein of the future?
As a product developer, I have been closely monitoring the growing trend of using insects as a source of protein in supplements as an alternative or adjunct to traditional protein sources like whey or plant proteins.
Currently, what is available on the market as “insect protein powder” are insect powders or insect flours.
These insect powders or flours are made from dried and ground-up insects. Commonly used insects for protein powder include crickets, mealworms, and black soldier flies, pictured below.
These insects are first cleaned and roasted to remove any bacteria, then ground into a fine powder. The resulting powder is high in protein, with up to 80% protein by weight. In addition to protein, insect protein powder contains essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.
The exoskeleton (outer skeleton) of insects is rich in a compound called “chitin”. Chitin is a dietary fibre that can help beneficial gut bacteria to thrive, much like plant-based dietary fibres do.
Cricket (left) and Mealworm (Right), two insects that are used as protein source.
The types of insect “protein” products currently on the market
The first type is insect flours, marketed as insect protein powder. An example is the product below, made from mealworm powder:
Insect flours are also being used in combination with other protein sources, like plant proteins, as in the example below.
Challenges of Insect “Protein” Powder
When developing products, I always appraise of the challenges of the product being developed. For insect protein, the following are the challenges that we anticipate:
- Lack of appeal: insect protein powder may not be as palatable as traditional protein sources, as some people find the taste and texture unappealing. Insect protein powders also have poor solubility.
- Nutritional value/ protein quality: insect proteins are lacking in certain amino acids. For example, a study by Canadian researchers found that mealworm protein lacked the essential amino acid lysine, whereas cricket protein was low in tryptophan. The overall protein quality (depending on amino acid content and ease of digestion), measured by means of a score called the “Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score” (PDCAAS) found that mealworm and cricket protein powders had a score of 0.54 and 0.65, respectively. A PDCAAS value of 1 is the highest, and 0 the lowest. Whey and egg protein, for instance, have a PDCAA of 1.
- High Cost: the production and distribution of insect protein powder may not be as efficient as traditional protein sources, which could lead to higher prices for consumers.
Future directions
To overcome some of the challenges of insect protein, the following approaches are envisageable:
a. Making purified insect proteins as opposed to insect powders (ground insects)
Food scientists have proposed a method to get rid of the fibre (exoskeleton/ chitin) by means of digestion with enzymes, heat treatments, solvent extractions that will produce peptides with different sizes and free amino acids. These methods are a bit similar to those used for producing other protein-rich ingredients such as soy and whey protein concentrates and isolates
This can lead to a “better” raw material that’s easy to formulate with. But the taste and flavour remains to be seen. I will be on the lookout for this to test in my lab.
Flowchart diagram for production of protein hydrolysate powders using whole insects or insect flour as starting material. Source: Liceaga, 2021.
b. Use of insect flour in other consumer products
Insect flour is being considerered for use, in combination with standard ingredients, in consumer products like bread, baking and snack products. In this case, wheat flour is partially replace by insect flour.
Concluding remarks
I see the potential benefits of using insect protein powder as a sustainable and nutritious alternative to traditional protein sources. Insect protein powder is high in protein, essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, and has a low environmental impact. While there are some potential drawbacks to consider, such as food safety concerns and palatability, overall, insect protein powder is a promising protein source for the future.
I am watching this space closely and will be willing to embark on some research projects involving insect protein.
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