Cirina forda and Rhyncophorus phoenicis are widely consumed insects in tropical Africa. Drying is one of the main conservation techniques to improve the availability of these insects, which are harvested seasonally in the wild. The main goal of this study was to investigate the sorption isotherms and to estimate the shelf-life of these two dried insects. Sorption isotherms were determined at 25, 30, 40 and 50 °C by using dynamic vapour sorption. Amongst five isotherm sorption models that were selected to fit the experimental data, Peleg’s equation was found to give the best fit for both insect species. It was observed that all insects exhibited type III sorption isotherms, indicating monolayer-multilayer behaviour with a progressively decreasing biding energy as the number of layers rises. Using the Heiss-Eichner model, dry base initial moisture contents of 8 and 7%, are proposed for C. forda and R. phoenicis respectively. These conditions ensure a shelf-life of 12 months at 30 °C when insects are packaged in polyethylene films.

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There are 472 edible insect species in sub-Saharan Africa, of which 31% are Lepidoptera. Wild harvesting is still the main source of supply for these prized species to this day, with some harvesting techniques negatively impacting the environment. The successful production of edible caterpillars requires the appropriate and efficient implementation of husbandry techniques and practices. In this review, we present current literature on edible caterpillars. We provide a general overview of their life history, nutritional composition, and availability associated with specific host plants, with emphasis on semi-domestication and rearing practices that should replace wild harvest. Based on the assimilated information, a proposal of potential species for farming is provided, with details on key characteristics of development cycles to promote the establishment and development of sustainable farms of edible caterpillars at small and large scales. Such advances would contribute toward reducing anthropological pressure related to the exploitation of these food resources, as well as the environmental footprint of this widespread practice.

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