Superfoods from mealworms

Recently, in the media, it was reported that the European Union “gives the green light” to the proposal to use mealworms as food. So are mealworms in Vietnam and what is the value when used as food?

Illustration. Powdered caterpillars are rich in protein The mealworm is a species of beetle in the family Tenebrionidae, known in English as Mealworms or mealworm beetle. In 1758, Linneus gave the scientific name Tenebio molitor. This species is native to Europe, is on the list of storehouse pests (cereals, flour and food), but is not serious. In Vietnam, mealworms are considered to originate from the Mediterranean, but are mainly imported from China through informal channels and considered as “strange weeds” (foreign creatures) with the name “Golden mealworms”. Powdery mildew larvae are widely sold in Hanoi and used as food for ornamental birds. Insects for animal and human food have received increasing attention in recent years. They may represent an alternative source of protein and micronutrients compared to conventional meat sources. Therefore, the objective of this work was to determine the nutritional value as well as the degree of chemical and microbiological contamination in order to better assess the risk/benefit of consuming mealybug larvae. These mealworm larvae have a nutritional value with 10.4% fat and 13.7% protein, similar to conventional meat sources. Their main fatty acids are oleic (37.8%) and linoleic (33.2%). The results showed that these larvae met the essential amino acid requirements (all above 100% of the daily contribution), with the exception of lysine. Study results also show that T. monitor larvae are an excellent source of minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium and zinc (114%, 109 to 128% and 117% of the RDI). Although, it is low in potassium and iron (16-17% and 20% of the RDI). The lower sodium content is a health advantage, as eating a lot raises blood pressure. The mercury and lead values ​​were below the detection limit and the cadmium level was 0.10 mg/kg. The larvae of mealybugs had a high amount of bacteria but no pathogenic bacteria were detected. Starving the larvae for 8 days at 5°C reduced the total number of microorganisms, especially yeast, and the total number of thermophilic anaerobic spore forming bacteria. Licensed by Europe as food Recently, the European Union Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced that it has granted a safety certificate for the consumption of dried yellow powder worms. It paved the way for restaurants in the area to offer insect-based foods. The EFSA’s first approval of a food insect is a big step forward in helping insects find a “place” in the daily menu of people. This is the basis for EU officials to decide whether to allow the sale of this item in 27 countries in the region. The new decision also marks the first time the safety assessment process for an insect food has been completed by EFSA, as the agency aims to license the protein-rich food industry. Currently, in Europe, insects are still not on people’s menus. Because of psychological and cultural issues, different from the reality in some Asian countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China… However, with this decision, the industry expects the insect food market in Europe to grow rapidly in the coming years, reaching an output of 260,000 tons by 2030. Not only flour worms, rice worms (Zophobas morio) will probably not be far away from taking over all nutritious foods such as chicken, beef, pork, milk… to become the main source of protein for mankind. Future. Rice worm farming accounts for only 10% of the land area compared to cows, 30% of the area is for pig farming, 40% of the area is for chickens. Meanwhile, the level of protein supply of this worm is as high as that of the foods mentioned above. In Vietnam, although mealworms are only raised to serve ornamental birds, other insects such as crickets, ca cuong, chits, bamboo worms, black thorn ants… have been bred or exploited in the wild for trading. sold for human consumption. Other benefits Research results from Stanford University have informed the miraculous ability of mealworms. That is, they can eat foam plastics and other forms of polystyrene. There are some insects capable of degrading plastic such as the wax worm Achroia grisella and Galleria mellonella or the Mediterranean moth (Plodia interpuncella)… that can chew, eat and digest plastic as garbage bags. In the intestines of mealworms, there are many species of microorganisms capable of degrading polyethylene (PE). 100 mealworms are capable of consuming 34 – 39 milligrams of foam insulation, equivalent to the weight of a capsule per day. Larvae that eat all foam insulation are just as healthy as those that eat bran. The mealworm converts plastic into CO2, biomass and waste that can be broken down by bacteria. This waste appears to be safe to use as fertilizer for plants. They have designed a breeding area for mealworms with three purposes: Decompose plastic, provide food for people and use waste to make fertilizer for plants. The breeding area for powdered worms is made from organic glass (plexiglass) and is designed to be divided into 4 floors. The adults (male and female) will be kept on the top floor. Their eggs, when laid, will fall through small holes to the second floor. Here, the eggs will hatch into larvae and be fed sponge. As the mealworms grow, they are moved to the third lower floor. Here they are fed powder to cleanse their intestines and pupate. The mealworm droppings on the third floor will fall on the fourth floor and be collected to be used as fertilizer. At the third floor, we can collect the mealworms for food or let them grow into adults and then bring them back to the top first floor to continue the breeding cycle. Farms that raise mealyworm larvae can produce more edible protein than traditional farms that raise chickens, cows, pigs or dairy cows for the same amount of land used. The researchers compared the environmental impacts of a mealworm farm with that of traditional livestock farms using three parameters. These are land use, energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions. They found that for each unit of edible protein produced, worm farms required much less land and energy.