By Alejandro de la Brena Meléndez*
In Mexico, insect consumption (entomophagy) is deeply rooted in our culture. This practice is renowned for its culinary richness and positive effects on sustainability and nutrition.
Among the diverse range of edible insects, grasshoppers (Sphenarium purpurascens) are commonly found in tlayudas, tacos, guacamole, and salsas. However, a closely related species, the house cricket (Acheta domesticus), has taken center stage in the global conversation about food security and environmental viability.
A study by the BioFoods Research Lab at Tec de Monterrey explores the potential of using various parts of edible crickets as high-value nutritional ingredients.
This research highlights the viability of lesser-valued cricket fractions, challenging their perception as ‘by-products’ and opening new avenues for research to harness their physiological functions and technological properties in the food industry.
House Cricket: Sustainable and Nutritious
The farming of house crickets (Acheta domesticus) emerges as an innovative solution, capable of being produced in self-sustaining farms with a reduced environmental impact. Unlike conventional livestock, cricket farming requires fewer natural resources, such as water and feed, and produces fewer greenhouse gases.
In 2021, the European Food Safety Authority classified house crickets as generally safe for human consumption. Their high protein content (between 62% and 65%), along with a valuable fatty acid profile (including palmitic and oleic acids), offers an alternative to meet the nutritional needs of the global population.
While commercial products such as snacks, breads, and beverages already utilize crickets, research has revealed that separating crickets into specific fractions (torso + head and legs + antennae) can uncover significant nutritional differences.
The legs, in particular, show a higher protein content, with 73% protein compared to 65% in the rest of the body. This makes them especially valuable for more specialized applications, such as beverages and nutritional supplements aimed at athletes.
Producing ingredients from different parts of the cricket requires thermal processing to ensure the microbiological quality of the product. Although thermal processing conditions can affect the nutritional profile of the resulting ingredients, these differences are minimal, allowing industrial producers to base their choice of conditions on economic and environmental factors.
Tests on the different cricket fractions have revealed important findings for their application in the food industry. It has been demonstrated that different parts of the cricket, including those typically considered by-products like the legs, possess remarkable abilities to retain water and oil, generate foam, and effectively blend with other ingredients in food preparations.
This discovery is significant because it suggests the potential to fully use crickets, thereby maximizing their value. Flour made from crickets has demonstrated an outstanding ability to absorb and retain both water and oil, irrespective of the cricket part it comes from.
This property is particularly useful in food production since, depending on the desired final product, it can be beneficial for an ingredient to retain more liquid or fat.
For instance, flours with a higher oil retention capacity are ideal for producing bakery items, meat substitutes, and ento-vegan cheeses. Additionally, these flours help improve the texture, appearance, and consistency of foods due to their foaming ability. They are also effective in stabilizing water-oil mixtures that might otherwise separate, such as certain dressings and soups, highlighting their potential for diverse applications in the food industry.
Newcomers to the Food Industry
With these findings, a path is paved for future research to identify the proteins present in each fraction, evaluate their quality, and explore new applications based on their physiological functions, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capabilities.
This information can be used to develop industrial foods with higher protein content and flavor and texture characteristics that satisfy even the most discerning palates. But should we eat insects just for their taste and nutritional content, or is there more to discover?
Edible crickets have shown potential to improve the health of populations that frequently consume them. A recent study demonstrated the prebiotic potential of regularly consuming this food (Stull et al., 2018).
Specifically, people who consumed cricket flour for 14 days experienced a reduction in the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and increased populations of Bifidobacterium, a genus of probiotic bacteria known for its beneficial health effects.
The benefits could reach beyond gut health. Research has demonstrated that substituting 7.5% of the corn in tortillas with cricket flour can reduce the predicted glycemic index by 25%, thanks to forming amyloid-lipid complexes recognized as dietary fiber (Alvarez-Barajas et al., 2023).
This aligns with another study, in which an 8% supplementation of edible crickets in rats fed a high-fat, high-fructose diet effectively prevented obesity, normalized blood lipid levels, and improved insulin resistance (Escobar-Ortiz et al., 2022).
Food Versatility
Research and development surrounding crickets and their integration into the food industry offer a window into more sustainable and nutritious consumption alternatives. Products from crickets can be used in various applications, including bakery goods and nutritional supplements.
As a result, we may have a new food source to address the most pressing global challenges in the food industry. As society moves towards more conscientious and responsible consumption practices, crickets emerge as a source of nutrition and a symbol of innovation in the food industry, rooted in ancient traditions and practices.
The path to acceptance and utilization of insects in daily diets may be challenging, but the benefits, both for human health and environmental sustainability, are promising. In the future, crickets could be consumed in everyday foods without compromising taste and experience, yet offering enhanced nutritional benefits and a reduced environmental footprint.
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References
- Alvarez-Barajas, A., Perez-Carrillo, E., & de la Rosa-Millan, J. (2023). Physicochemical, thermal and in vitro digestion characteristics of cricket- (Acheta domesticus) substituted corn tortillas. International Journal of Food Science & Technology, 58(4), 1821–1831.
- Brena-Melendez, A., Garcia-Amezquita, L. E., Liceaga, A., Pascacio-Villafán, C., & Tejada- Ortigoza, V. (2024). Novel food ingredients: Evaluation of commercial processing conditions on nutritional and technological properties of edible cricket (Acheta domesticus) and its derived parts. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, 92.
- EFSA NDA Panel (EFSA Panel on Nutrition Novel Foods and Food Allergens), Turck, D., Bohn, T., Castenmiller, J., De Henauw, S., Hirsch-Ernst, K. I., Maciuk, A., Mangelsdorf, I., McArdle, H. J., Naska, A., Pelaez, C., Pentieva, K., Siani, A., Thies, F., Tsabouri, S., Vinceti, M., Cubadda, F., Frenzel, T., Heinonen, M., … Knutsen, H. K. (2021). Safety of frozen and dried formulations from whole house crickets (Acheta domesticus) as a Novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. EFSA Journal, 19(8).
- Escobar‐Ortiz, A., Hernández‐Saavedra, D., Lizardi‐Mendoza, J., Pérez‐Ramírez, I. F., Mora‐Izaguirre, O., Ramos‐Gómez, M., & Reynoso‐Camacho, R. (2022). Consumption of cricket (Acheta domesticus) flour decreases insulin resistance and fat accumulation in rats fed with high‐fat and‐fructose diet. Journal of Food Biochemistry, 46(9), e14269.
- Kemsawasd, V., Inthachat, W., Suttisansanee, U., & Temviriyanukul, P. (2022). Road to The Red Carpet of Edible Crickets through Integration into the Human Food Chain with Biofunctions and Sustainability: A Review. In International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Vol. 23, Issue 3). MDPI.
- Stull, V. J., Finer, E., Bergmans, R. S., Febvre, H. P., Longhurst, C., Manter, D. K., Patz, J. A., & Weir, T. L. (2018). Impact of Edible Cricket Consumption on Gut Microbiota in Healthy Adults, a Double-blind, Randomized Crossover Trial. Scientific Reports, 8(1).
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Author
Alejandro de la Brena Meléndez, PhD candidate in Applied Biotechnology in Food at Tec de Monterrey’s Biofoods Research Lab. A pioneer in the development of the edible insect sector in Mexico, contributing to the development of 25 rural cricket producers. He has participated in various international congresses such as the International Congress on Engineering and Food (ICEF14, Nantes) and Fixing the Future 2023 (Barcelona).
