Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Evaluation of nutritional composition and ecotoxicity of the stick insect Cladomorphus phyllinum

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
European Food Research and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The global population is estimated to reach 9 billion at 2050; thus, there will be an increase of food demand. In this scenario, edible insects can be considered as an option for both food and supplements source. In this work was evaluated the nutritional aspects of Cladomorphus phyllinum, also known as stick insect. Protein, carbohydrates, amino acids, lipids, fatty acids, minerals and ecotoxicity were analyzed. The raw sample had protein, carbohydrate, ester and lipid content of 17.96%, 8.33%, 15.23% and 1.85%, respectively, while the dry sample presented 64.6% protein content. It has been found that the dry stick insect presented the essential amino acids, leucine, isoleucine, valine, lysine, threonine, methionine, phenylalanine and histidine. Oleic acid (57.03%), palmitic acid (15.94%), linoleic acid (13.76%) and stearic acid (10.67%) were also found in dry samples. The micronutrients calcium, magnesium and zinc were the minerals with expressive concentrations. Besides, acute ecotoxicity tests performed with extremely sensitive species, Daphnia magna, Vibrio fischeri and Artemia Salina, revealed no toxicity associated with the Cladomorphus phyllinum. These results obtained in this work indicate that the stick insect can be used as an alternative insect-based protein, minerals, fatty acids and amino source.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig.1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Poma G, Cuykx M, Amato E, Calaprice C, Focant JF, Covaci A (2017) Evaluation of hazardous chemicals in edible insects and insect-based food intended for human consumption. Food Chem Toxicol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2016.12.006

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Govorushko S (2019) Global status of insects as food and feed source: a review. Trends Food Sci Technol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2019.07.032

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. FAO (2015) Edible insects: future prospects for food and feed security. Food Agric Organ United Nations, Rome, Italy

    Google Scholar 

  4. Huis A, Itterbeeck J, Klunder H, Mertens E, Halloran A, Muir G et al (2013). Future prospects for food and feed security. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Huis A (2016) Edible insects are the future? Proc Nutr Soc. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665116000069

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Patel S, Suleria HAR, Rauf A (2019) Edible insects as innovative foods: nutritional and functional assessments. Trends Food Sci Technol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2019.02.033

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Soares Araújo RR, dos Santos Benfica TAR, Ferraz VP, Moreira Santos E (2019) Nutritional composition of insects Gryllus assimilis and Zophobas morio: potential foods harvested in Brazil. J Food Compos Anal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2018.11.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Zielińska E, Baraniak B, Karaś M, Rybczyńska K, Jakubczyk A (2015) Selected species of edible insects as a source of nutrient composition. Food Res Int. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2015.09.008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Nowak V, Persijn D, Rittenschober D, Charrondiere UR (2016) Analytical methods review of food composition data for edible insects q. Food Chem. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.10.114

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Michael AS, Thompson CG, Abramovitz M (1956) Artemia salina as a test organism for bioassay. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.123.3194.464

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Meyer B, Ferrigni N, Putnam J, Jacobsen L, Nichols D, McLaughlin J (1982) Brine shrimp: a convenient general bioassay for active plant constituents. Planta Med. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2007-971236

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Parra A, Silva R, Guerra SI, Iglesias BL (2001) Comparative study of the assay of Artemia salina L. And the estimate of the medium lethal dose (LD50 value) in mice, to determine oral acute toxicity of plant extracts. Phytomedicine. https://doi.org/10.1078/0944-7113-00044

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Adámková A, Kouřimská L (2016) Nutritional and sensory quality of edible insects. NFS J. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nfs.2016.07.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Ekpo KE, Onigbinde AO (2007) Characterization of lipids in winged reproductives of the termite Macrotermis bellicosus. Pakistan J Nutr. https://doi.org/10.3923/pjn.2007.247.251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Lease HM, Wolf BO (2011) Lipid content of terrestrial arthropods in relation to body size, phylogeny, ontogeny and sex. Physiol Entomol. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3032.2010.00767.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Akhtar Y, Isman MB (2018) 10—Insects as an alternative protein source. In: Yada v (ed) Proteins in food processing, 2nd edn. Woodhead Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-100722-8.00011-5

  17. Ghosh S, Lee S-M, Jung C, Meyer-Rochow VB (2017) Nutritional composition of five commercial edible insects in South Korea. J Asia Pac Entomol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aspen.2017.04.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Christensen DL, Orech FO, Mungai MN, Larsen T, Friis H, Aagaard-Hansen J (2006) Entomophagy among the Luo of Kenya: a potential mineral source? Int J Food Sci Nutr. https://doi.org/10.1080/09637480600738252

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Ramos-Bueno RP, González-Fernández MJ, Sánchez-Muros-Lozano MJ, García-Barroso F, Guil-Guerrero JL (2016) Fatty acid profiles and cholesterol content of seven insect species assessed by several extraction systems. Eur Food Res Technol. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-016-2647-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. González CM, Garzón R, Rosell CM (2019) Insects as ingredients for bakery goods. A comparison study of H. illucens, A. domestica and T. molitor flours. Innov Food Sci Emerg Technol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifset.2018.03.021

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to FURB for the support that made this article possible. This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001.

Funding

The funding was provided by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemical Engineering Department, University of Blumenau-FURB, Blumenau, SC, Brazil

    Vanderleia Botton, Luana Marcele Chiarello, Dielen Marin, Luana Curbani & Marcel Jefferson Gonçalves

  2. Forestry Engineering Department, University of Blumenau-FURB, Blumenau, SC, Brazil

    Guilherme Alan Klunk & Marcelo Diniz Vitorino

Authors
  1. Vanderleia Botton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Luana Marcele Chiarello
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Guilherme Alan Klunk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Dielen Marin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Luana Curbani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Marcel Jefferson Gonçalves
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Marcelo Diniz Vitorino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Conceptualization: VB and MDV; Methodology: GAK and DM; Formal analysis and investigation: LC and MJG; Writing—original draft preparation: LMC; Writing—review and editing: LMC, VB and MDV; Funding acquisition: VB and MDV; Supervision: VB and MDV.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vanderleia Botton.

Ethics declarations

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (PNG 30 KB)

Supplementary file2 (PNG 153 KB)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Botton, V., Chiarello, L.M., Klunk, G.A. et al. Evaluation of nutritional composition and ecotoxicity of the stick insect Cladomorphus phyllinum. Eur Food Res Technol 247, 605–611 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-020-03649-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-020-03649-y

Keyword

Search

Navigation