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.

Insects have been proposed as a sustainable food solution due to their environmental, nutritional, and socioeconomic value; however, in the western world, insects are viewed as disgusting. This research aimed to understand the acceptance of insect-based products in the US market by studying the emotional response to such. A survey of 826 consumers was conducted using (1) a modified version of the EsSense Profile® questionnaire to capture the emotional response to pictures of different kinds of foods, (2) images to evaluate the influence of the presence or absence of non-visible insects in food products, (3) information about the environmental value of insects, and (4) socioeconomic demographics. Disgust was found as a barrier to product acceptance. Insect food products were positively correlated with the emotions of interest, understanding, daring, adventurous, and worried, and negatively correlated with the emotions satisfied, good, pleasant, happy, calm, warm, nostalgic, and secure. The influence of sustainability-related information on the emotional response to such products is complex and should be carefully considered.

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Literature suggests that edible insects are most likely to be accepted when they are presented in the nonvisible form, but is it the only way? This research examines the acceptability of whole, ready-to-cook mealworms among early adopters. An online questionnaire was developed and distributed without restriction via email, social media (Facebook) and in-person referrals. Participants were assigned to predetermined clusters based on their willingness to adopt insects (n = 85 No-thank-you's, n = 85 Hideaways, n = 53 Daredevils, and n = 78 Peekaboo's), sent a follow-up questionnaire which presented a video of frozen, ready-to-cook mealworms cooking, and asked their willingness to buy the product. Analysis of variance, Tukey's means comparisons, and principal component analysis maps were used to analyze the data.Early adopters (Daredevils-53% and Peekaboo's-38%), motivated by the novel experience and ease of preparation, would consume frozen, ready-to-cook mealworms in a stir-fry, with vegetables, in a taco/burrito, or with rice. Practical ApplicationsThis work demonstrates the value of segmentation of consumers. By narrowing the target audience, this work suggests that frozen, ready-to-cook mealworms may be a viable product form for a niche segment of consumers. The adoption of mealworms in this form may be beneficial for entomophagy as a whole by increasing exposure and familiarity of insects as a food source. Potential benefits of this research include future product development and consumer evaluation opportunities to help better understand how to develop a product that consumers are willing to purchase in use as a substitute for traditional livestock proteins. Incremental shifts to purchasing edible insects in place of traditional livestock protein will have a positive sustainable impact on the food supply. | INTRODUCTIONBy 2050, livestock may exceed safe operating space estimates in regards to climate change, reactive nitrogen mobilization, and appropriation of plant biomass (Pelletier & Tyedmers, 2010). Currently, 50% of habitable land is used for agriculture, and 77% of that land is used for livestock production (Ritchie & Roser, 2020), while 18% of anthropogenic greenhouse gases are related to world livestock production (Steinfeld et al., 2006), despite livestock only accounting for 18% of the world's calories and 37% of protein (Poore & Nemecek, 2018).The human population is predicted to reach nine billion people by 2050 (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2019), increasing demand for food and putting a strain on natural resources and the food supply. In 2013, a report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations suggested that insects may play an important role in increasing food

Edible insects are a sustainable food source to help feed the growing population. Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) can survive on a variety of food wastes and alter their composition based on the feed source. Commercial carrot production produces an abundance of carotenoid-rich carrot pomace, which may be beneficial for mealworm larvae growth. This study uses an I-optimal response surface design to assess the effect of dehydrated carrot pomace concentrations (made up with wheat bran as the control) in the substrate and wet carrot pomace as the moisture source (potato and carrot as control moisture sources) in a mealworm-larvae-growing system. Using this design, statistical models were fit to determine the relationship between the substrate and moisture and dependent variables, which include mealworm larvae mortality, days to maturity, weight, protein content, fat content, moisture content, ash content, and total carotenoid content. An optimum diet was proposed, in which the best diet for improving commercial mealworm growth was found to contain 36% dehydrated carrot pomace in the substrate, with wet carrot pomace as the moisture source. This research provides an application for a commercial waste stream and provides insight to help improve the growth of a sustainable protein source.