How did the little cricket change from a "cricket" to a "food"?

Crickets, this tiny insect, have been closely connected with human life since ancient times. In the Book of Songs, the ancients described their living habits: "In July, they are in the wild; in August, they are in the house; in September, they are at the door; in October, crickets enter my bed." Crickets are famous for their unique chirping. Male crickets make pleasant sounds by rubbing their front wings together, and their auditory organs, the auditory organs, are located on their front feet, similar to human eardrums. Crickets chirp mostly in autumn. In ancient times, when women heard the chirping of crickets, they realized that the weather was about to get cold, so they would speed up weaving and prepare winter clothes. Therefore, crickets have earned the elegant name of "crickets".

In modern times, people have discovered that crickets are rich in carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, minerals and vitamins, and are a food resource with great potential. The launch of partially defatted cricket powder as a new type of food on the market marks the transformation of crickets from their traditional role of "stimulating weaving" to the modern role of "promoting eating", reflecting their new value in the food industry.

Source: Implementing Regulation - 2023/5 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)

However, the public's acceptance of edible insects is not high nowadays.

When it comes to insects, many people's first reaction is fear, disgust and rejection, not to mention putting insects on the table as a source of food. So why do people still call insects represented by crickets "the last piece of cake given to mankind by nature"?

The first is its nutritious characteristics. Compared with plant protein and meat protein, insect protein has a high level of high-quality protein in terms of nutritional value, total protein level and essential amino acid spectrum. In addition, insects contain fat and many minerals such as iron, zinc, potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese and copper. They also contain a variety of lipophilic vitamins and nutrients such as riboflavin, pantothenic acid, biotin, etc., which can not only meet human energy needs but also provide rich nutrition.

Source: Nutritional, functional and biological properties of insect protein: Access, consumption and future challenges - ScienceDirect

Secondly, insects, which are invertebrates, have high biodiversity, accounting for 95% of the animal kingdom's biomass, and have great development potential. Due to the increase in the world's population, the demand for protein is rising. Traditional animal husbandry is not only difficult to meet the growing demand for protein, but also has problems such as high energy consumption and pollution. Insect breeding makes up for the shortcomings of traditional animal husbandry. As cold-blooded animals, insects do not need energy to maintain high body temperatures, so they can very efficiently convert feed into consumable dietary protein. When insects are mass-produced, they can also help bioconvert large amounts of food waste. In addition, compared with crop or animal protein production systems, insect protein production systems can reduce environmental impact and achieve sustainable development due to their lower carbon footprint and lower land and water requirements.

Of course, the "final cake" of insects is not perfect. The production process of the "cake" also needs to consider safety issues and allergenic issues such as microbial contamination, heavy metal accumulation and acute toxicity. At the same time, in order to improve public acceptance, insects are not directly served on the table, but are more processed into insect powder and used in various foods, opening up a new modern track for edible insects.

From "crickets" to "food", the transformation of crickets is not only a challenge to traditional cognition, but also an exploration of modern food sources. With the global population growth and increasing resource pressure, it is particularly important to find sustainable sources of protein. As an alternative protein, crickets are not only nutritious but also environmentally friendly, and are expected to occupy a place in the future food market.

References

[1]Bhavya Sharma, Dhiraj Kumar Yadav, Santanu Malakar, Shambhavi Singh, Minaxi Sharma, Shweta Suri, Kandi Sridhar,Insect proteins – Production technologies, bio-functional, and food applications: A perspective,Food Bioscience,Volume 61,2024,104560,ISSN 2212-4292.

[2] Ruann Janser Soares de Castro, André Ohara, Jessika Gonçalves dos Santos Aguilar, Maria Aliciane Fontenele Domingues,Nutritional, functional and biological properties of insect proteins: Processes for obtaining, consumption and future challenges,Trends in Food Science & Technology,Volume 76,2018,Pages 82-89,ISSN 0924-2244.