Alimenti a base di insetti: proprietà nutrizionali, produzione e prospettive di mercato

Climate change and population growth are currently the challenges that are compromising the food production and resources, making alternative nutritional sources necessary. The use of edible insects as alternative animal protein food has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. Entomophagy is a traditional practice, widespread by many societies, which have discovered insects as a source of suste nance with high nutritional value. However, most Western consumers associate the con sumption of insects with a potential vehicle for infectious diseases, and describing this practice as primitive and reprehensible. Numerous studies on consumer behavior reveal that the willingness to consume these preparations increases if they are incorporated into familiar foods, and if the information re garding the positive effects derived from their consumption is provided. This study investigates the current develop ments of the edible insects market and the attitude towards their consumption; identi fying their nutritional properties and in the correct production practices, as the potential commercial value of these products