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TERAMO, Italy – Insects and insects are not exactly the most appetizing foods, but that does not prevent a quarter of the world's estimated two billion people from eating insects daily. It may be difficult for the rest of us to think about eating insects, but that does not change the fact that many insects are excellent sources of protein, fiber and vitamins. Now, a new Italian study has found one more reason to consider eating insects; some types are absolutely packed with antioxidants.
To be clear, researchers only analyzed insects already commercially available for eating. This study does not recommend looking in your garden for dinner tonight.
Among the edible insects analyzed, grasshoppers, silkworms and crickets displayed the highest levels of antioxidants – almost five times more than fresh orange juice! It should be noted here that all these insects are vegetarian, while carnivorous insects, such as giant cicadas, giant aquatic insects, black tarantulas and black scorpions, all had negligible antioxidant rankings. To be honest, scorpions and spiders are not insects, but arachnids.
Now, these insects have been analyzed in the form of a grease-free dust. You can already imagine how difficult it would be to swallow, but the researchers say that even though the dust was 88% diluted in water, it would still contain about 75% of the antioxidant qualities of the juice. orange – a proof of its richness in antioxidants these little critters are.
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In addition, fats derived from cicadas and giant silkworms showed twice the levels of antioxidants in olive oil.
For this study, researchers purchased a wide range of commercially available edible insects. Then they removed all inedible parts such as wings or stings and then ground the insects in two materials: the grease and grease-free dust mentioned above. Each substance was then tested for antioxidants.
"Edible insects are an excellent source of protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, minerals, vitamins and fiber. But until now, no one compared them to conventional functional foods such as olive oil or orange juice in terms of antioxidant activity, "explains L & # 39; lead author Mauro Serafini in a statement.
In addition to the health benefits, the researchers say that more and more people should consider trying edible insects because of their carbon footprint, soil and water incredibly small compared to livestock. While Serafini and her team admit that it will not be easy to convince most people to eat a meal that looks appetizing and tastes even worse, they insist that consumers should keep in mind all the benefits of insects on health.
The researchers warn that it is only the first step in many humans to release the full potential of insect-based antioxidants. Additional tests are needed to clarify the effects of these antioxidants in humans. Once this is established, the authors of the study believe that adjustments can be made to the diet and way of life of insects in order to cultivate more specific types of antioxidants.
"In the future, we could also adapt the diets for growing insects to increase their antioxidant content for animal or human consumption," says Serafini.
The study is published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Nutrition.
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