Fombong Forkwa Tengweh, Van Der Borght Mik, Vanden Broeck Jozef
Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction lab, Division of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Department of Biology, University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Lab4Food, Technology Cluster Bioengineering Technology, Department of Microbial & Molecular Systems, University of Leuven, 2440 Geel, Belgium.
Insects. 2017 Sep 16;8(3):102. doi: 10.3390/insects8030102.
The longhorn grasshopper, (Serville), plays an important role as a food source across Sub-Saharan Africa, where it is consumed as a delicacy in both rural and urban areas. The effect of two drying methods (freeze-drying and oven-drying), employed after blanching, on the proximate, fatty acid and mineral composition of the two most common morphs was determined. grasshoppers were harvested in Uganda and Kenya from wild swarms during the rainy periods of November-December 2016. Based on cuticular coloration, we identified three morphs, green, brown and purple, which occurred at a ratio of 65:33:2, respectively. Results indicated that these insects have a high lipid content of 36%, as well as significant protein levels ranging between 33% and 46% dry matter. Oleic acid (44%) and palmitic acid (28%) were the two most abundant fatty acids; while the presence of arachidonic acid (0.6%) and docosahexaenoic acid (0.21%) suggests that is also a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The observed amino acid profile showed similar trends in all morphs, and all essential amino acids were present. Calcium (896-1035 mg/100 g), potassium (779-816 mg/100 g) and phosphorus (652-685 mg/100 g) were quite high among the minerals. The presence of the trace elements iron (217-220 mg/100 g), zinc (14.2-14.6 mg/100 g), manganese (7.4-8.3 mg/100 g) and copper (1.66 mg/100 g) suggests that inclusion of these grasshoppers in human diets may aid in combatting micronutrient deficiencies. Oven-drying delivered the same nutritional quality as freeze-drying. Hence, both drying approaches can be adequately used to formulate insect-based food products without noticeable nutritional changes.
长角蝗虫(Serville)在撒哈拉以南非洲地区作为一种食物来源发挥着重要作用,在农村和城市地区它都被当作美味食用。研究测定了两种常见形态的长角蝗虫在烫漂后采用的两种干燥方法(冷冻干燥和烘干)对其近似成分、脂肪酸和矿物质组成的影响。2016年11月至12月雨季期间,在乌干达和肯尼亚从野生虫群中捕获了长角蝗虫。根据体表颜色,我们识别出三种形态,绿色、棕色和紫色,其出现比例分别为65:33:2。结果表明,这些昆虫的脂质含量很高,达36%,蛋白质含量也很高,干物质含量在33%至46%之间。油酸(44%)和棕榈酸(28%)是两种含量最丰富的脂肪酸;而花生四烯酸(0.6%)和二十二碳六烯酸(0.21%)的存在表明长角蝗虫也是多不饱和脂肪酸的一个来源。观察到的氨基酸谱在所有形态中都呈现出相似趋势,并且所有必需氨基酸都存在。矿物质中钙(896 - 1035毫克/100克)、钾(779 - 816毫克/100克)和磷(652 - 685毫克/100克)含量相当高。微量元素铁(217 - 220毫克/100克)、锌(14.2 - 14.6毫克/100克)、锰(7.4 - 8.3毫克/100克)和铜(1.66毫克/百克)的存在表明,在人类饮食中加入这些长角蝗虫可能有助于对抗微量营养素缺乏。烘干与冷冻干燥的营养品质相同。因此,这两种干燥方法都可充分用于配制以昆虫为基础的食品,而不会有明显的营养变化。