Cricket protein for human nutrition

Crickets as a sustainable source of protein

White paper 2023

Are you ready to embrace crickets as future food?

Increasing global populations and changing diets have led to the urgent need for additional supplies of protein from sustainable sources.

Crickets are one of the most sustainable and nutritious sources of protein in the world. They contain more protein than cows, chickens, and pigs while helping to save the planet in the process with a much smaller environmental footprint.

Cricket protein has been part of traditional ways of eating in many cultures all over the world for thousands of years. The question we now put to you: Are you ready to embrace crickets as future food?

4-5 Future food

Why cricket protein should be part of the solution?

6-7 Is it safe?

Food safety and consumer acceptance

8-9

Superfood

Crickets as a food source are rich in many nutrients, especially protein

10-11

Eco footprint

Crickets as the means of creating a more sustainable food system

Food production will need to double by 2050

The global food system is under pressure – not only because there will be more mouths to feed, but also because agricultural yields are challenged due to global warming.

By 2050 we are projected to have close to 10 billion people on this planet and our food production will need to double as a result 1

Innovative strategies are needed to help combat hunger, which already affects more than 1 billion people in the world 1

Globally, animal-based food production is responsible for 30 % of GHGEs, 70 % of water use, and it occupies 77 % of the land used for agriculture, while only contributing 37 % of the global protein production 2 .

As insects need far less land and resources to provide the same amount of protein, they are a highly trusted solution for future food.

Read on and understand how the consumption of insects, or entomophagy, can contribute positively to the environment and to health and livelihoods.

1: UN, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2023)

2: UN, Food & Agriculture Organization – FAO (2022)

Are there risks to eating crickets?

Edible crickets are among the top 5 most eaten insect species around the world.

GAP-certified cricket farms

Consumption of crickets is generally safe. However, eating crickets can cause allergies to those persons sensitive to insect chitins.

Crickets are what they eat. This means that the nutritional composition is determined by the feed they are given. Farm rearing of crickets must therefore be done with appropriate and safe substrates to guarantee the health and safety of consumers. The method of rearing and farming of crickets is crucial to pursuing the highest standards of food safety.

Local authorities all over the world are starting to certify cricket farms in accordance with good agricultural practices to help ensure improved safety measures from hatching to storage and delivery of the harvested crickets.

Food safety professionals are conducting further studies on edible insect consumption to help quell doubts about the safety of this novel food.

Consumer acceptance

Consumers are becoming increasingly keen on the idea of eating insects, but there are still hurdles to overcome - especially in regions of the world with no history of eating insects.

A complexity of emotional factors, such as disgust and neophobia, as well as tastes, textures, and contexts, are found to have a major influence on the acceptability of edible insects. 3

Product development to produce delicious and healthy foods containing cricket protein and the adoption of strategies to increase acceptance are therefore required.

Powdered cricket protein with little taste integrates easily into many food and beverage formulations and tend to be more widely accepted than whole crickets.

There are strong signs of acceptance from the sports nutrition industry, as athletes are constantly seeking new efficient supplements that can help enhance their performance and recovery.

All 9 EAAs – and more!

Edible insects are considered superfoods because they are a high source of low-fat protein, and have a high percentage of amino acids, minerals, and vitamins compared to any conventional animal source.

Nutrient-dense ingredient

Edible crickets are excellent sources of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, mineral salts, and vitamins required by humans for proper growth and development.

The typical protein level in house crickets is 65-70 %, but there can be some variation in protein content due to the influence of the diet, habitat, and the stage of development of the examined cricket.

Compared to amino acids from livestock meats, house crickets have either more or a similar content of all types of amino acids.

Some crickets possess high values of lysine, tryptophan, and threonine, which are lacking in some of the cereal proteins that are major parts of the daily diets of many households. In places where malnutrition is rampant, the consumption of crickets can help mitigate deficiencies in the required amino acids.

Crickets contain all 9 Essential Amino Acids.

Rich in fiber, minerals, and vitamins

Crickets also contain a significant quantity of fiber (for OmniBug™ it is almost 5 %), in fact crickets are richer in fiber compared to other meat sources.

Edible crickets are a reliable source of mineral elements such as phosphorus, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. Normally, crickets have higher macro-mineral elements than those found in beef, pork, and broiler chicken, although some have similar content.

Edible crickets contain a wide range of lipophilic and water-soluble vitamins, including riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B12.

Overall, the nutritional profile of cricket protein (house crickets) matches or outperforms that of other meat sources.

The environmental footprint of insects versus meat

Use of resources and the environmental impact of framing insects versus livestock.

Production of 1 kg of protein.

Source: Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022 // Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, 2022.

Today, consumers are more responsible and look for food brands with a minimal environmental impact. Crickets are sustainable protein because they pollute less than any protein of animal origin in terms of the use of land, space, water, and CO2 emissions.

Crickets, like most other insects, have a high feed-conversion efficiency rate, which is measured in kg of feed per kg of weight gain. This is an animal’s capacity to convert feed into increased body mass.

Current food production systems and supply chains are expected to be challenged by population growth and increasing rates of environmental damage, changing climates, mismanaged land, and pandemics. These factors signal the need to diversify the protein industry.

Inventive actions need to be undertaken to meet the cumulative nutrition demand through high-quality protein sources and cricket protein could very well be one of the solutions.

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A selection of quality ingredients derived from meat, skin, bone, blood, and insect raw materials is used to manufacture ingredients that bring the best of nature directly into your formulation.