Eating is not a culinary custom that is too deeply rooted in Spain.
Unlike other countries such as Mexico, China, Chile or Australia, where it is more common to find dishes whose main ingredients are grasshoppers, cooked larvae, red ants or crickets.
However, since 2018 the consumption and marketing of this “new food” has been regulated in the European Union, which, according to the Spanish Agency for Food Safety (AESAN), “the edible insects they can diversify diets, improve livelihoods, contribute to food security, and have a smaller ecological footprint compared to other protein sources.”
Precisely, that the consumption of a food is safe is an essential requirement for it to be included in our diet.
However, before AESAN has the last word, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) carries out an analysis of the risk and dangers that its consumption could entail.
In recent weeks, the go-ahead has been given to a new insect, which can now be sold in supermarkets and, therefore, ready to eat. The dung beetle larvae are in addition to the other three that had been previously cleared.
mealworm
Its scientific name is Tenebrio molitor and receives this name for being responsible for pests in the industry dedicated to the manufacture of flour.
The EFSA says of this insect that “It is not harmful from a nutritional point of view” and that “there are no security problems.” But, its consumption can cause allergic reactions in those people who are allergic to crustaceans or dust mites.
Its flavor is not strong (reminiscent of hazelnut) and it can be accompanied in an infinite number of dishes: salads, porridge oatmeal or pasta. Although it can be shocking to accompany any dish with mealworms, its nutritional values make it one of the insects with the most protein, although it is not the one with the highest percentage: 52%.
In addition, it contains 30% fat and regarding vitamins, 57.4 ppm of calcium and 0.3 ppm of phosphorus.
They are a source of niacin, pyridoxine, riboflavin, folic acid and vitamin B12 (very important for protein metabolism).
migratory locust
locusta migratoria it is the second insect approved in the European Union. There are three formats available: frozen, dried, and powdered.
Precisely, consuming this frozen food reduces its percentages of protein and fat. However, eating dried or powdered migratory locusts increases its protein content to 43-60% and its fat content to 31-41%. It also stands out for its high fiber content, which contributes to reaching the recommended daily intake of 25 grams.
Does the consumption of insects have derived risks?
The details that the consumption of insects can pose a risk to some people. Specifically, insect-based foods can pose a hazard to “consumers, particularly those who are allergic to crustaceans due to cross-reactivity.”
Other risks are biological. Although insect pathogenic microbes are considered harmless to humans and animals, they can be a vector for various microorganisms that are harmful to us.
- “The risk of transmitting zoonotic infections to humans via edible insects appears low, but this topic requires further investigation to clarify potential risks to food and feed.”
house cricket
In this case, Acheta domesticus it was approved in February 2022. It is one of the most used species to feed exotic pets such as reptiles and fish. We are talking about an insect with 62% protein in dry weight, which makes it one of the varieties with the best nutritional properties.
The house cricket can be found as an ingredient in products such as cookies, protein bars or pasta.
dung beetle larvae
They are the queens of protein (72%), but they also provide, according to the Entomological Society of the United States, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, iron and zinc.
The European Food Safety Authority has authorized its consumption in paste, frozen or powder form in January of this year. As also occurs with other insects, they can be the cause of hypersensitive people to crustaceans and mites.
Edible insects are also antioxidants
Research from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) has shown that edible insects not only stand out for their potential as a source of protein, but also for their “bioactive compounds.”
“The antioxidant activity of insects had already begun to become evident in recent years for different species of edible insects, which has been mainly attributed to the protein fraction of the flour obtained from these insects,” explains Dr. Diana Martin, director of the work published in .
And, this research shows the “inhibitory capacity” of the digestion of lipids in the diet, “which is of interest in the face of health problems such as high levels of triglycerides or cholesterol in the blood, as well as being overweight or obese.”
“An improvement in the oxidative state of the tissues is highly related to an improvement in the state of health and the prevention of the development of certain pathologies. Hence the interest in finding new edible sources rich in antioxidant compounds”, highlights Joaquín Navarro del Hierro, co-author of the study.