For both humans and animals, insects are becoming a more commonly used food/feed source around the world through an increased of insect protein production. As well as their high protein content, they also offer a source of vitamins, minerals, fibre, and lipids for anyone who consumes them. A wide variety of insects are used for this purpose. Including mealworms, black soldiers flies, beetles, and crickets, all of which have different levels of protein per serving. On top of being an excellent food/feed source, they are also used in the pharmaceutical industry. Today we’re going to take a deeper look into the insect protein production process. How much protein can you expect to find in a wide variety of insects used in feed today?
Insect farming industry | How much protein is in insects?
Insect farming industry
Breeding insects is a way of making this protein source available for consumers all year round. As many insects are only out in nature at certain times of the year, the insect farming industry makes continuous production possible. When the scale of insect farming increases, this naturally reduces costs and improves efficiency. The insect production process can take place in both indoor and outdoor environments. Indoor environments will require temperature control and good quality feed to guarantee its success.
This process is taking place around the world today. You may be surprised to learn that there are 20,000 companies farming grasshoppers, crickets, and other insects in Thailand alone. Insect farming is still a manual process throughout the world. In the USA and Europe, insect farming is continuing to increase. Crickets, mealworms, and waxworms are the most common insects being produced in these regions. Primarily for the intention of creating feed in the future. However, it is acknowledged that for insect protein to become a mainstream protein source, commercial mass production would need to be automated to some extent to make this a reality.
Insect production process
When it comes to the insect production process, there are many steps. The harvesting stage occurs during different life stages, depending on the breed you are growing, and they are collected with a sieve before they are water cleaned to remove any debris or excretion. Generally, insects are sieved and stored for a day at a low temperature without any feed to begin the process. The inactivation stage is next, which works to remove any enzymes and microbes in the insects. Heat treatment is then used to kill off any bacteria, as this is a requirement for safety reasons when using insects as a source of protein. This stage of the process may adjust the protein properties of the insect.
Finally, the insects are dried and have a reasonably high moisture level, so this must be reduced to preserve them. From there, the insect protein production process can continue to create animal or human feed in any desired form or product.
How much protein is in insects?
When choosing a form of insect protein, the protein levels vary depending on the insect, as it does with animals. We’ll discuss how much protein is in mealworms, flies, and some of the other most commonly consumed insects.
How much protein is in mealworms?
Mealworms are one of the most popular protein sources and they are quite readily available today. If you are wondering how much protein is in a mealworm, they offer 24 grams of protein in a 100-gram serving. When compared to eating salmon, this is 4 grams more per serving, so it’s a great option for adding to human and animal diets.
How much protein does a fly have?
In insect farming, one of the most popular sources of protein is the so-called black soldier fly (BSF). In a 100g serving of BSF, you can expect about 19 grams of protein and 2 grams of fat. Of course, the protein and fat content may vary depending on what they were fed.
How much protein does a cricket have?
If you are wondering how much protein is in a cricket, you’ll be impressed to know that they are made up of 60% protein. However, after the production process, this usually means that if you eat 100 grams of cricket in your meal, you’ll gain about 20 grams of protein. The insect production process does result in a loss of protein.
How much protein do insects have?
Now that you know how much protein all the top insect protein sources have, you can see that they are just as good a source of protein as more traditional options like chicken, beef and fish. More and more insect protein production facilities are opening around the world, so expect this protein source to only continue in its use in the coming years.
