Edible Insects Rearing Methods And Incorporation Into Commercial Food Products-A Critical Review

Insects are appealing assemblage of organisms classified under the phylum Arthropoda and considered the most diversified in nature. A sum of 2-3 million are estimated on earth constituting as much as 80 - more than 90 of all species in the animal kingdom. Varied nutritional aspects range from high quality protein natural fat vitamins fibre contents and diverse minerals. That they are of great taste confirmed delicacy and reduce to minimal the climatic change impacts from increasing world growing population and increased agro-ecosystem output are positive reports. Inclusion criteria of potentially suitable edible insect species is a function of defined benefits stereotyped conditions of breeding detailed intensive care of insect nutritional structure and profile and risk assessments to combat threat in hygienic and toxicology aspects. These aforesaid factors would pull edible insects into been fully implemented as food into the world legislation brochures. Entomophagy human insectivory is actualized from mass producing edible insects either as mini-livestock treatments or mechanized breeding facilities and not the stressful harvesting from the wild. Cultural social psychological and western bias are key note barriers to be fully redressed to realize the high prevalence in entomophagy and production of insect-based food products. Notwithstanding a few insect-based products including fresh pasta from mealworm flour jungle bars protein bars cricket flours snack packs from various edible insects insect candies and biscuits amongst others are available in European markets but records of these insect-based food products in Africa and Nigeria are lacking only feed production from larva and adult insects are available in South Africa. Instead roasting frying cooking toasting among other processing strategies and hawking whole processed insects within different regions in Africa and Nigeria are the order of the day. Since edible insects have varied advantage over livestock production and are promising as food prospects it is imperative to promote insect-based food entrepreneur and enlighten the general public to have a bite.