Insects need a sufficient quantity of macro- and micronutrients in their diet for maximising their growth, development, and reproduction. To achieve high efficiency in the mass production of a particular insect species, the quality of the diet given must be considered, both in terms of its chemical (nutrients) and physical (hardness and form) characteristics. Black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), is a beneficial insect widely reared due to its easy and cost-effective maintenance. An example of the end-product of BSF larvae (BSFL) is known as BSF oil, which can be used for animal feed, raw material in bar/liquid soap, and biodiesel. To obtain the best quality of oil produced from BSFL, finding an optimal substrate through diet mixing or manipulation is quite necessitated. Fatty acids with more than 18 carbons should be found in the substrate to be absorbed into the fat of BSFL to obtain a high-quality oil. There is a positive correlation between the fatty acid concentration in the substrate and the concentration in BSFL, that the concentration in BSFL is influenced by the concentration in the substrate. This emphasises the importance of the substrate’s fatty acid content in incorporating these fatty acids into BSF oil. Although the oils produced by the insect are especially high in medium-chain fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids, yet, to produce on such a large scale requiring further investigations.
Global food production is anticipated to rise along with the growth of the global population. As a result, creative solutions must be devised to ensure that everyone has access to nutritious, affordable, and safe food. Consequently, including insects in diets has the potential to improve global food and nutrition security. This paper aims to share recent findings by covering edible termites as the main aspect, from their consumption record until consumer acceptance. A total of 53 termite species are reported as edible ones and distributed in 6 biogeographic realms. Generally, termites have a nutrient composition that is suitable for human consumption, and cooked termites are a better dietary choice than their raw counterparts. Besides, increasing customer interest in eating termite‐based food can be achieved by making it more palatable and tastier through various cooking processes, that is, boiling, frying, grilling, roasting, smoking, and sun‐drying. Moreover, edible termites can also be used as a new source of medication by exhibiting antimicrobial activity. Regarding their advantages, it is strongly encouraged to implement a seminatural rearing system to sustain the supply of edible termites. Overall, this paper makes it evident that termites are an important natural resource for food or medicine. Hence, the long‐term objective is to stimulate scientific inquiry into the potential of edible insects as an answer to the problem of global food security.
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