Acceptability and Nutritional Quality of Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana) Cookies Enriched with Cricket (Acheta domesticus)

The triple burden of malnutrition, characterized by being overweight, hidden hunger, and underweight, is prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya. Edible crickets are recognized as a sustainable and affordable source of food rich in proteins, lipids, vitamins, and minerals. On the other hand, finger millet is also rich in proteins, nutrients, and antioxidants. This study evaluated the nutritional value of finger millet cookies enriched with crickets alongside the control (finger millet cookies with no cricket enrichment). Formulated cookies were analyzed for sensory attributes and general acceptability by women with children under the age of five years old. The history and motivation of entomophagy of these women were also assessed. Cricket-based cookies had less moisture content and carbohydrate but were rich in protein, crude fibre, crude fat, ash, calcium, copper, iron, manganese, phosphorous, and zinc compared to the control. About 60% of women had the experience of eating insects or insect-based foo. Insects are mainly eaten based on their available and accessible resources (47%) and have high nutritional value (43%). Cricket-based cookies had overall acceptability of 3.3/5.0 based on the texture, mouthfeel, colour, and aroma. Thus, the study recommends that the sensory attributes of cricket-based foods need further improvement to make them appealing without altering their nutritional value should be the target of concern.