Illa Jofre, Yuguero Oriol
Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat de Lleida, Lleida, ESP.
Faculty of Medicine, Universitat de Lleida, Lleida, ESP.
Cureus. 2022 Jul 14;14(7):e26863. doi: 10.7759/cureus.26863. eCollection 2022 Jul.
Population growth is causing a high demand for meat products, which, coupled with the current climate crisis, has fueled research into alternative protein sources. This review discusses the role of edible insects as an alternative protein source to complement our diet. We compare nutritional, environmental, economic, and food safety aspects between edible insects and current protein sources and conclude with a discussion on ethical considerations. Edible insects are a good protein source, with a higher average protein content than most protein-rich products we consume today. In addition, they provide fiber, fats such as monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and essential amino acids and are also rich in some minerals and vitamins. Product safety is yet to be studied; however, they have a much lower environmental impact than other intensive livestock products. Moreover, the production of edible insects is not expected to be expensive. The consumption of edible insects is a good alternative to conventional animal foods in modern times: a major climate crisis accompanied by numerous societal inequalities due to population growth.
人口增长导致对肉类产品的高需求，再加上当前的气候危机，推动了对替代蛋白质来源的研究。本综述讨论了可食用昆虫作为补充我们饮食的替代蛋白质来源的作用。我们比较了可食用昆虫与当前蛋白质来源在营养、环境、经济和食品安全方面的情况，并以关于伦理考量的讨论作为结论。可食用昆虫是一种优质蛋白质来源，其平均蛋白质含量高于我们如今食用的大多数富含蛋白质的产品。此外，它们还提供纤维、单不饱和脂肪酸（MUFAs）和多不饱和脂肪酸（PUFAs）等脂肪以及必需氨基酸，并且还富含一些矿物质和维生素。产品安全性还有待研究；然而，它们对环境的影响远低于其他集约化畜牧产品。此外，预计可食用昆虫的生产成本不会很高。在现代，食用昆虫是传统动物食品的良好替代品：在人口增长导致重大气候危机并伴随众多社会不平等现象的情况下。
