Kalita Castro Foto Estúdio
Bisconsin Junior: insects are nutrient-rich and a good option for foodKalita Castro Foto EstúdioFood scientist Antonio Bisconsin Junior, a professor at the Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology in Rondônia (IFRO), does not believe the average Brazilian will begin eating insects any time soon. He argues, however, that it makes perfect sense to do so—for their nutritional value and sustainability advantages. “Insects offer an alternative to our agri-food system, which currently produces a lot of greenhouse gases and uses a lot of land and resources, with little return,” Bisconsin told Pesquisa FAPESP.
In 2023, he completed his PhD in Food Science at the School of Food Engineering of the University of Campinas (FEA-UNICAMP), supervised by Professor Lilian Mariutti, which included a six-month stay at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy in Postdam, Germany. It was there that he developed a cricket-based protein concentrate for human consumption—a food supplement similar to the well-known whey protein. The concentrate can also be used as an ingredient in the food industry.
One technology Bisconsin used to create the flour is known as high hydrostatic pressure, which he previously used during his master’s degree at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara campus, where he studied the quality of orange juice produced through an unconventional method involving high pressure. His research was funded by FAPESP.
In the interview below, he presents the main findings of his research on whether Brazilians would be willing to incorporate insects into their diet, and discusses some interesting elements of a dietary practice that is rare in the country.
Why eat insects?
Studies have made it clear that insects are rich in nutrients, such as proteins, high-quality lipids, and insoluble fiber. With this nutritional profile, combined with the issue of sustainability, insects make perfect sense as a food option. Farming them has a much lower environmental impact than traditional meat farming.
What are the advantages of including them in a person’s diet?
The biggest one is protein content. Insects offer high-quality protein compared to cattle, pigs, eggs, and milk. And there is the fact that they are more sustainable. Farming them emits less greenhouse gas, less space is needed, and they consume less food and water. There are several advantages from a production standpoint.
Where is consumption by humans most common?
It is part of the food culture in several Asian and African countries. It has a strong link to tourism in Thailand, where they eat a lot of crickets. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, they eat a lot of beetle larvae and moth caterpillars. In Mexico, the famous chapulines [grasshoppers] are sold at street markets. People eat it like popcorn. There are even some European countries that do not historically have a culture of eating insects but have recently created new legislation on the topic. Insect burgers, meatballs, and snacks are sold in chain stores in the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Denmark.
Which insects are most common there?
They use the larvae of Tenebrio molitor, popularly known as the mealworm, to make burgers and meatballs, and the house cricket [Acheta domesticus] for snacks. Edible insects are now part of the European agri-food system, although they are not yet very popular.
Do you eat insects?
Yes, whenever I have the chance. The last time was about a month ago, while hiking here in Rondônia. People in the region eat the larvae of the coconut borer beetle, which is rich in lipids. The Indigenous custom is to cook them in a stir-fry. The larval form of the insect is very high in fat. You can also cook them in the fat they release, but deeper in the jungle, they eat them raw. And there’s a specific way of doing it. You have to hold the head of the larvae and bite off the body, then you throw the head away. If you put the whole thing in your mouth, it could bite you. It’s sweet and tastes a bit like condensed coconut milk, but with a firmer texture.
Do insects contain more protein than the meat we traditionally consume?
The amount of protein in insects is equivalent to that in meat. But when it comes to analyzing the data, there is often some confusion. It is common for results to be presented on a dry basis, disregarding the natural water content of the product. This makes sense when producing insect flour, which is around 60% to 70% protein, more than double conventional meat. But for the entire insect, considering the water contained within them, the proportion of proteins and lipids is similar to other meats.
Do insects pose a risk for allergies, as occurs with crustaceans?
Yes. Biologically speaking, insects and crustaceans are both classified as arthropods. The substances that crustaceans and insects produce—the proteins that cause allergies—are very similar. But there is no other health risk compared to other foods. Five years ago, the European Food Safety Authority released a report on the risks of eating insects in which it found no additional problems. It should be noted that we are talking about species already characterized as edible, and not naturally poisonous species, like caterpillars that sting.
Does Brazil have the potential to produce edible insects?
Yes, mainly because temperatures here are naturally quite high. We could produce the insects most widely accepted in Europe and the USA—since they already exist in Brazil—and export them to these markets. We would not have to make such a great effort creating artificial environments and maintaining high temperatures to accelerate the insect’s lifecycle like insect production industries do in the Netherlands. They use a lot of energy. We also have another possibility: regional insects, which are part of our culture. Brazilians might be surprised to hear it, but some of us eat insects. Restaurants in São Paulo, Minas, and Bahia all serve dishes containing ants, for example.
What are the key results of the research you carried out on whether people would accept edible insects?
In 2018 and 2019, I worked with a group of volunteer professors and researchers from federal universities and EMBRAPA [Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation] to interview 780 people in Brazil. Residents in the North and Midwest regions showed greater acceptance and familiarity with the subject. The culture that shapes society in these areas is highly influenced by Indigenous peoples, who ate and still eat insects, depending on the Indigenous group in question. In the Southeast, South, and Northeast, where the population is more distant from these Indigenous cultures, there was greater rejection and less knowledge of the topic.
Are any edible insects produced in Brazil?
Most members of the Brazilian Association of Food Insect Breeders [ASBRACIA] raise insects for animal feed. But there is a growing voice advocating for the use of insects for human nutrition. There is also a network of people who produce them, cook them at home, and then sell them, despite there being no legislation on the matter. It’s something informal.
Where did your interest in studying these insects come from?
I had an interest in the subject even as an undergraduate [of food science at the University of São Paulo], but in 2013 the FAO [United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization] published an extensive report on the use of insects for human food, including several examples from around the world, and ideas on breeding, production, and nutritional composition. The document, which was revolutionary for the food sector, motivated me to believe in and invest in this idea.
Is the cricket-based protein that you developed in your PhD designed to be used instead of whey protein?
Yes, but not just as a dietary supplement like whey protein. My initial objective was to create a concentrate from black crickets or the Jamaican field cricket [Gryllus assimilis] that could be used as an ingredient by the food industry. We use protein to make ice cream, to enrich products, to give them texture, to make emulsions. Companies, unfortunately, have not yet embraced the idea. The cricket is endemic to Brazil and the hottest regions of the world in the Global South.
Your research showed that Brazilians generally find the idea of eating insects unpleasant. Is there a scale of this feeling?
Yes. On the scale, the cockroach comes in last place—it is the most repulsive. Another group of insects seen negatively were larvae, whether from beetles or moths. They ranked second to last. Then were ants, which had a slightly more positive connotation. And crickets and grasshoppers were the most accepted among those interviewed.
Will insects ever be part of our food culture?
That’s a difficult question to answer. The fundamental point is that there are currently no ANVISA [Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency] or MAPA [Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock] regulations on the breeding, processing, and sale of insects for human consumption. Changes are needed in the Brazilian vision and it will take time for people to accept the idea. The economic advantages could indeed lead to consumption, as long as insects become more accessible. Sharing recipes and where to find these insects could also help to popularize them.
Scientists interviewed 780 residents of eight cities from across the country
Léo Ramos Chaves / Pesquisa Fapesp
Dried cricket (left pot) and flour made from the insect: Brazilians are resistant to the idea of including insects in their dietLéo Ramos Chaves / Pesquisa Fapesp- Most respondents said the idea of eating insects was disgusting
- Young people with higher levels of education had a more positive attitude towards the topic
- Rejection is greater among women, people with less education, and older people
- Crickets and grasshoppers are the most accepted insects, followed by ants
- Residents of the North and Midwest regions were more accepting of the idea
Source: BISCONSIN-JUNIOR, A. “Insetos comestíveis: Estudo do consumidor e desenvolvimento de ingrediente alimentício”
Project
Impact of high hydrostatic pressure on orange juice quality (nº 11/049029-8), Grant Mechanism Master’s Fellowship; Supervisor Magali Conceição Monteiro da Silva (UNESP); Beneficiary Antonio Bisconsin Junior; Investment R$37,513.55.
Scientific articles
BISCONSIN JUNIOR, A. et al. Examining the role of regional culture and geographical distances on the representation of unfamiliar foods in a continental-size country. Food Quality and Preference. Vol. 79, p. 103779. 2020.
MARIUTTI, L. R. B. et al. The use of alternative food sources to improve health and guarantee access and food intake. Food Research International. Vol. 149, p. 110709, 2021.
BISCONSIN JUNIOR, A. et al. “Food made with edible insects”: Exploring the social representation of entomophagy where it is unfamiliar. Appetite. Vol. 173, p. 106001, 2022.
BISCONSIN JUNIOR, A. et al. Mycotoxins on edible insects: Should we be worried? Food and Chemical Toxicology. Vol. 177, p. 113845, 2023.
