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Determination of selected elements in two commercially available edible aquatic insects (Coleoptera) and their worldwide updated list

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Abstract

Many nations and ethnic groups from underdeveloped and developed countries have used insects as human food since ancient times, a practice that has continued into modern times. In many traditionally entomophagous countries, insects are not a “famine food,” and demand for edible insects is clearly a “food of choice” rather than a necessity. From a nutritional point of view, depending on the insect species, gender, insect’s diet, and seasons, some species of edible insects have significant amounts of fat, protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins, as well as minerals required for human health, thus representing an alternative food source. In addition to their nutritious content, they may also accumulate pesticide residues, microplastics, and heavy metals from their ecosystems. Therefore, this study analyses some mineral (Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Co, Cr, As, and Pb) contents of two selected commercialized aquatic edible beetles, Dytiscus marginalis and Cybister tripunctatus (Dytiscidae), via inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and reviews the contemporary list of aquatic edible beetles of the world, summarizing the nutritional characteristics of water beetles with a synthesis of the risks and benefits of edible aquatic beetles in recent literature. The mineral composition of the aquatic beetles is briefly discussed. Antinutritional elements (Pb and As) were detected in aquatic insects, but their contents are below toxic levels for humans. A list of 92 edible aquatic beetle species from Dytiscidae, Gyrinidae, Elmidae, Histeridae, Hydrophilidae, Haliplidae, and Noteridae (Coleoptera) was compiled and updated.

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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article. The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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  1. Narman Vocational School, Atatürk University, Narman, Erzurum, Turkey

    Zeynep Aydoğan

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This is a single-author paper. Zeynep Aydoğan performed the element analysis via the EAHTARC, drafted the article, and revised the literature critically. The author confirms the sole responsibility for design, literature collection, interpretation, and manuscript preparation.

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Correspondence to Zeynep Aydoğan.

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Aydoğan, Z. Determination of selected elements in two commercially available edible aquatic insects (Coleoptera) and their worldwide updated list. Environ Monit Assess 195, 249 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10861-8

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