Are insects a good source of protein for humans?

Navodita Malla, Nanna Roos*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalEditorialResearchpeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)
41 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

When insects are introduced as a novel protein source in human diets, we need to understand the protein quality to compare their nutritional value with other foods. Protein quality assessment methods are based on evaluation of the ability of the protein to meet the amino acid (AA) requirements of the human body. Most available data comes from animal models, either in rats or pigs. The limited available data supports edible insects as a highquality protein source for human consumption. The farmed insect species considered relevant as an alternative protein source are generally of good quality, and the protein quality of the vast diversity of insect species harvested from the wild across continents are likely to be sources of good quality, though this remains to be assessed. For methodological considerations, the recommended DIAAS (digestible indispensable AA score) method relies on accurately determining the total protein content. When determining total protein based on total nitrogen (N), using the standard conversion factor of 6.25 which disregards the non-protein N in insects, the protein quality is underestimated in comparison with other animal-source foods, such as meat and dairy.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Insects as Food and Feed
Volume9
Issue number7
Pages (from-to)841-844
Number of pages4
ISSN2352-4588
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© OPEN ACCESS

Keywords

  • Faculty of Science
  • Edible insects
  • Protein source
  • Human consumption
  • Protein quality

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