Characterising cricket flour from Gryllus assimilis : an alternative source of nutrients for sustainability

Abstract

A trend to study entomological options as food is turning the practice of entomophagy into a novelresearch field in search for sustainable and accessible sources of nutrients. In this work, cricket (Gryllus assimilis) was processed into flour (CF), and then extracted using different solvents to obtain oils and defatted flours. The repeatability of CF obtention, its nutritional profile, and some of its physicochemical properties were studied. Results showed repeatability with a 28% mass yield for CF production. The CF presented adequate amino acid, mineral, and fatty acid profiles, a high content of dietary fibre, and low available carbohydrates, thus being considered a suitable alternative for inclusion in healthy human diets. Using data obtained from the total nitrogen content, the amino acid profile, and the total dietary fibre determinations, the CF protein digestibility was estimated at 67.4%. Based on experimental data, a mean nitrogen-to-protein conversion factor of 5.76 was calculated for a G. assimilis meal. The study showed that nutritional cricket flour and derivatives can be obtained using non-sophisticated methods.