You can now have porridge made from crickets.
The cricket-fortified porridge contains more vitamins than commercially available brands, and also has the three essential omega-3 fatty acids.
Researchers from the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) have used insect nutrients to transform African porridge
"From a basic, often low-nutrient meal, into a super-food that meets and exceeds micronutrient requirements for people," the researchers say in the study published in Foods journal.
The porridge, according to the researchers, has twice as much protein, three to four times more crude fat and double the amount of iron and zinc.
Nelly Maiyo who was involved in the research as part of her MSc studies at ICIPE, while registered at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, said the porridge has a combination of edible African cricket, finger millet and amaranth
“We tackled this challenge from two angles. First, we fortified finger millet with high-quality nutrients from an edible African cricket known as Scapsipedus icipe; and the grain of amaranth, an indigenous vegetable that is widely grown across the continent,” said Maiyo.
She said the S. icipe cricket is widely farmed across Kenya and was discovered by the Centre in 2018 as a new species in science.
ICIPE studies have shown that cricket is significantly rich in crude protein and fat, which, respectively, make up 57 per cent and 36 per cent of its dry body weight mass.
“The insect is also rich in essential amino acids, minerals and vitamins, with 88 per cent of its nutrients being digestible by the human body. Often cultivated for its leaves or grains, amaranth is known for its high levels of vitamin C and pro-Vitamin A, as well as iron, zinc and calcium. Its grains are also rich in protein, lysine (an essential amino acid) and calcium,” she said.
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