Insects Will Be the Food of the Future

Although it is not common in many countries, including our country, and most people “I never do“Even though it’s something he swore by saying, consuming insects as food This is a very normal situation, especially in Asian and African countries. Moreover, a complete protein nest Insects are known to have many health benefits.

Researchers have found that insects ‘future food’ He thinks it’s very likely. Trends in Plant Science According to a new research article published in the journal Science, scientists find that switching to a diet that includes insects may also affect the products we grow, such as the fruit and vegetables. a positive effect suggests it will.

Consuming insects can have a huge impact on sustainable agriculture

An excellent source of protein, insects are used to produce food compared to conventional farming. much less they use resources. For example; if you feed about 2 kilograms of feed to the mealworm farm, you will get one kilogram of edible protein; but for beef 10 times more you need space and in addition, the greenhouse gas produced is 18 more.

The authors of the article discuss the use of waste products from the production of insects to be used as human food and animal feed, and the use of these wastes, growing sustainable cropsexamines the benefits it can have on i. Accordingly, insect farm by-products provide crop farmers with the ability to promote plant growth and influence the soil microbiome in ways that support plant health. an organic soil additive is thought to provide.

The authors of the article on the subject, “From the production of a new animal protein source, i.e. yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), small mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus), house cricket (Acheta domesticus), black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) or housefly (Musca domestica) for food and feed A new organic soil amendment emerges from the production of insects.” uses expressions.

Consuming insects can promote healthy plant growth

The use of insects for food and feed typically results in two by-products: insect excrement and the remnants of insects molting exoskeleton (exuviae). Here are the extremely robust potential of these two by-products into conventional fertilizers and pesticides. alternatives It seems highly probable. The authors on this “An important component of the exoskeleton is a high molecular weight amino-sugar polysaccharide that is also found in fungal cell walls and in the exoskeleton of many crustaceans. it’s your kit. Soil amendments containing chitin have been shown to promote plant growth,” saves as.

“However, there are a number of bacteria that can metabolize chitin, and these microbes make plants more susceptible to diseases and pests. resistant it helps to” Plant biologist Marcel Dicke from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, one of the authors of the study using the expressions “When exuciae is added to the soil, this beneficial bacteria populations increase. states as.

In addition, insect excrement is a nutrient essential for plant growth but scarce in most soils. nitrogen It may also be the case that adding insect excrement to the soil stimulates plant growth because it is rich in nitrogen (nitrogen). Regarding this issue “Similarly, it has been shown that adding insects to the soil provides plants with nitrogen and other nutrients, which increases their biomass and nutrient content,” researchers, who recorded “Both chitin and insect seedling modifications affect soil microbiome composition, and this is important in promoting plant growth and health. an important factor it could be” he adds.

Exoskeleton can also act as pest control

On the other hand, the researchers found that beneficial soil bacteria that metabolize chitin from the exoskeleton will not only accelerate plant growth; He states that it will also cause changes in plant physiology, attracting reciprocal insects such as pollinators and even natural enemies of antagonistic insects. This means that the exoskeleton pest control tool function It’s quite possible to see it.

With all this, the authors argue that the application of insect-growing byproducts to crops means that waste is almost completely eliminated. a circular food system He argues that it may be a step in the right direction. According to this circular system, insects that feed on waste streams from crop farming or food production then become food for humans and meat products. With the use of residues from insect production to encourage and support crop growth, the circle is being completed..

Of course, at this point, there remains a very important step: people, especially Westerners, have been led to the idea of ​​consuming insects as food. exercise and disseminating it. Although Dicke on this subject states that he has tasted many kinds of insects in many parts of the world and has always enjoyed these dishes, it is quite a long time before the idea of ​​​​eating insects is adopted by a large part. time It can be said that he will.