No abstract

This study identifies early adopters of insects as a food ingredient. An online questionnaire was created using Red Jade software, and distributed through social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit), email, and personal communication. Participants (n = 462) were segmented based on responses to six questions about willingness to consume insects. Responses were standardized within participants to account for differences in scale usage and participants were segmented using a partitioning around medoids (PAM) clustering algorithm in R Studio. Segmentation identified four clusters of participants: No-thank-you's (n = 130), Hideaways (n = 169), Daredevils (n = 59), and Peekaboo's (n = 104). For products containing whole insects (roasted or in a dish), Daredevils and Peekaboo's are early adopters. For products containing nonvisible insects, Daredevils, Peekaboo's, and Hideaways are early adopters. No trendswere observed between traditional demographics (age and gender) and willingness to try insects, but willingness to try insects appeared to be related to familiarity with insect consumption, and lack of dietary restrictions. Practical ApplicationsDespite the sustainability benefits of insects as a food source, they have yet to achieve widespread adoption in developed countries. This may be due to the lack of exposure in developed cultures, and the hesitation to try foods that are new and unfamiliar. Identifying early adopters of insects as a food source will allow for product development and marketing opportunities toward groups willing to try insects.Increasing familiarity and exposure to insects will allow for easier penetration of insects into the market. The current study identified potential marketing strategies based on the target early adopter group. Daredevils are experience seekers who enjoy trying new things. Thus, marketing a product as a novel experience may be successful for this group. Peekaboo's and Hideaways are more health and sustainability conscious, so product development and marketing of insect products as sustainable meat alternatives may be successful in targeting these groups.

Physical aging is the alteration in the physical properties of a glass, as a function of time, at temperatures below its glass transition temperature (Tg). The physical aging of maltose glasses, prepared from maltose monohydrate sugar, was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The maltose was aged at 30ЊC for times ranging from 5 min to Ϸ10 days. The Tg and change in heat capacity of the unaged and aged maltose glasses were measured. The change in enthalpy relaxation with aging time was determined by integrating the difference between the aged and the unaged DSC thermograms. The enthalpic relaxation data were adequately described by the Williams-Watts equation.

Insect powders used in food products may lower the overall quality when compared to conventional counterparts. This preliminary study was used to develop and evaluate insect-based food products and to utilize them in a future consumer test. Pork sausage, dried pasta, and chocolate brownie formulations were developed to either contain NO cricket powder (Control) or have cricket powder (CP). The products were evaluated for proximate composition and product-dependent parameters. The protein content increased in the CP pasta and brownies (p < 0.05) while no changes were found in the sausage (p > 0.05). Fat content increased in both the CP pasta and brownies while it decreased in the CP sausage (p < 0.05). The CP sausage had a higher carbohydrate content than the Control (p < 0.05). Overall, this may be attributed to cricket powder being high in protein and fat while also containing dietary fiber. Cricket powder replacement may lead to noticeable color differences by increasing green and blue coloring in sausage and pasta (p < 0.05). Changes in textural properties (p < 0.05) may be attributed to cricket powder affecting protein solubility and emulsion stability in sausage while gluten formation may be interfered with in the brownies. Overall, cricket powder replacement had improved nutritional content with minor changes in quality parameters.