The Mineral Composition of Five Insects as Sold for Human Consumption in Southern Africa
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Date
2015-08
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
academicJournals
Abstract
Edible insects have been proposed as an alternative protien source that is economically and environmentally preferable to livestock, and certain species may
be high in nutrients that benefit human health. We present data describing the mineral content of five
edible insects as sold in South Africa and Zimbabwe. We report high variation between and within
species, and note that these insects contain significant quantities of potentially beneficial, and
potentially harmful, micronutrients. Two caterpillars were notably high in Fe and Zn, which are
important nutrients for combating iron deficiency anemia. Na content varied both between and within
species, suggesting that some sellers add quantities of salt that could be harmful to health. Mn levels
were high in edible termites. We concluded that caterpillars can be promoted as nutrient rich foods in
southern Africa; that added salt should be limited in commercial products; and that further research is
required to determine whether common serving sizes of termites may put consumers in danger of
manganese poisoning.
Description
Full Length Research Paper on the mineral composition of five insects as sold for
human consumption in Southern Africa
Keywords
Edible insects, Nutrition, Mineral composition, Micronutrients, Lepidoptera
Citation
Payne, Charlotte L. R. ... et al. 2015. The Mineral Composition of Five Insects as Sold for Human Consumption in Southern Africa. African Journal of Biotechnology. Vol. 14