Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the recognition, purchase, and intake status of edible insects in adults, who are the main consumers of edible insects, and to provide the information necessary to expand the production and consumption of edible insects and related products in the future. Methods: A total of 453 adults (172 males and 281 females) aged 19 years and older were surveyed regarding their awareness of edible insects, purchase and consumption experience, and intention to purchase and consume, and the differences between them were analyzed according to gender and age groups. Data collection took place from December 2018 to January 2019. Results: Those who had knowledge of edible insects accounted for 87.0%, whereas those who had more than average knowledge were 75.9%, suggesting recognition was relatively high. Men had more experience than women in purchasing or consuming edible insects and related products (45.9% vs. 31.0%, p < 0.01). In terms of age, experience was 22.5% in 20-30s, 44.6% in 40-50s, and 63.1% in 60s and older, showing significant growth as age increased (p < 0.001). The satisfaction level of edible insects was highest in taste (3.4 points), and especially for shape and appearance, it decreased as age reduced (p < 0.001). The most common reason for not being willing to use edible insects was feeling repulsive (4.1 points), which was significantly more common in women than in men (4.3 vs. 3.9, p < 0.001), and lower with age (p < 0.001). The most needed information display for using edible insects was country of origin (63.8%), the main nutrient in edible insects was protein (93.6%), and the most preferred form of products was powder (39.5%). Conclusion: According to the above results, the recognition of edible insects was high, whereas experience of using edible insects and intention to use edible insects were low especially in women and younger groups. The reason for this is that consumers are dissatisfied with edible insects due to their appearance. This study is expected to be used

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Outbred mice (ICR) with different genotypes and phenotypes have been reported to be more suitable for scientific testing than inbred mice because they are more similar to humans. To investigate whether the sex and genetic background of the mice are important factors in the development of hyperglycemia, we used ICR mice and divided them into male, female, and ovariectomized female (FOVX) groups and treated them with streptozotocin (STZ) for five consecutive days to induce diabetes. Our results show that fasting blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were significantly higher in diabetes-induced males (M-DM) and ovariectomized diabetes-induced females (FOVX-DM) than in diabetes-induced females (F-DM) at 3 and 6 weeks after STZ treatment. Furthermore, the M-DM group showed the most severe glucose tolerance, followed by the FOVX-DM and F-DM groups, suggesting that ovariectomy affects glucose tolerance in female mice. The size of pancreatic islets in the M-DM and FOVX-DM groups was significantly different from that of the F-DM group. The M-DM and FOVX-DM groups had pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction 6 weeks after STZ treatment. Urocortin 3 and somatostatin inhibited insulin secretion in the M-DM and FOVX-DM groups. Overall, our results suggest that glucose metabolism in mice is dependent on sex and/or genetic background.

Dietary supplements are popular worldwide and their use has been increasing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mineral contents of multi-vitamins and minerals (MVMs) in most commonly sold among dietary supplements. Ninety popular MVM supplements sold in South Korea were surveyed regarding their characteristics and ingredients including minerals listed on the labels through off-line and on-line search. Daily mineral contents of the MVM supplements were compared with Korean Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) by target populations. The average price of 90 MVM supplements was $41.3 per bottle, with a price of $0.9 per day and the average number of minerals contained per supplement was 4.7. A total 14 minerals were found in the MVM supplements including calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Nine minerals (e.g. calcium, magnesium, and iron) were included in more than 30% of the MVM supplements examined. When daily mineral dose of MVMs was compared to DRIs, calcium was the lowest (34.0% of recommended intake [RI]) and chromium was the highest (218.7% of adequate intake [AI]), and zinc, copper, selenium, and chromium were also higher than their RI or AI levels. The daily mineral contents of the 90 MVM supplements were below the tolerable upper-intake level, but some minerals were higher than RI or AI with high variance among products. Therefore, there is a great need to educate the public for the adequate selection and use of MVM supplements based on the contents of MVM supplements and individual's mineral intake derived from the diet.