Habitats and nutritional composition of selected edible insects in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Edible insects are gaining recognition as food with potential of contributing to attainment of household food security. In sub-Saharan Africa, sustainable use of insects as food is threatened by lack of data on host plants and habitatassociations. In addition, lack of nutritional data on most edible insects reduces consumer confidence and limits integration of insect consumption with other food sources. This study was undertaken to review, collate and assembledispersed information of some edible insects of Zimbabwe. Data on species identities, host plants and habitats weregathered for 14 species from reputable literature sources and Bulawayo Natural History Museum records. In addition, nutritional assessments were carried out on 10 widely consumed insects in Zimbabwe. Standard ecological samplingprocedures were used to collect insect specimens. Proximate analyses were conducted following the Association of Official Analytical Chemists standard procedures using dried pulverised material. Majority (60%) of reviewedinsects had reliable host plants and habitats records. More than half of these were recorded in agro-ecosystems. On dry matter basis, protein content ranged from 22%(Gryllotalpa africana) to 55.4% (Gonimbrasia belina); fat content ranged from 10.8% (G. africana) to 41.6% (Macrotermes natalensis). Ash content was >10% in the ground dwelling G. africana (12.6%) and Eulopida mashona larvae (10.9%). Wide species differences were recorded for carbohydrate content; 0.4% in M. natalensis and 47.2% in G. africana. Carbohydrates content was inversely relatedto protein and fat contents for all insects. Energy and fat contents were positively related in all the insects. Overall, insect species from this study have high proximate constituents that can match plant and animal products diets andcan be considered as potential viable alternative nutritious food sources. Findings from this study are expected to promote greater recognition of insects as food in Zimbabwe and encourage up-scaling of their sustainable utilisation.

Consumption patterns of edible insects in rural and urban areas of Zimbabwe: taste, nutritional value and availability are key elements for keeping the insect eating habit

“…1 Framework for the design of the questionnaire on possible factors that can influence insect consumption patterns different types of insects. The results are in line with previous research, which observed that entomophagy is a common practice in Zimbabwe (DeFoliart 1997;Dube et al 2013;Musundire et al 2016). The data on consumption frequencies shows that a significantly higher percentage (63.9%) of the rural respondents consumed edible insects more than three times a week on average when it is insect harvest season compared with urban respondents (14.5%) (χ 2 = 101.766, df-= 3, p < 0.001).…”

“…For this purpose, a case study was made in Zimbabwe. Although mopane worms and termites are the most popularly consumed edible insects in Zimbabwe (Gardiner and Gardiner 2003;Onigbinde and Adamolekun 1998), Eulepida species (Dube et al 2013;Musundire et al 2016;Onigbinde and Adamolekun 1998) and Henicus whellani (Musundire et al 2014a, b) are also commonly consumed in some regions of the country. The current study, next to overall insect consumption, focused on Eulepida spp.…”

Protein quality of commonly consumed edible insects in Zimbabwe

“…Data analysis (calculated on dry matter basis) indicated that crude protein was high in the three edible insects, 71.2% in L. migratoria, 57% in I. belina and 31.3 in E. delegorguei ( Table 3). The protein content of insects studied was observed to vary widely but results were similar to published data for various edible insects in Zimbabwe and elsewhere especially for I. belina [3,4,19]. In other studies, authors have reported varying protein content from our results for Imbrasia belina [20].…”

“…Generally, insects that are mostly consumed are those that can be gathered in large numbers and meet organoleptic preferences of consumers [3]. In Zimbabwe, entomophagy has been reported as a common practice in both rural and urban areas in the country's 10provinces [4]. A significant number of insect types are consumed by the Zimbabwean population, and in other areas some insects are sold for money or bartered for other necessities [3].…”

“…The natives of Southern Africa used a number of insects as food, including caterpillars, locusts, ants, termites and beetles [5,6]. Insects commonly consumed in Zimbabwe include Imbrasia belina (mopane worm), Cerina forda (locusts), Encosternum delegorguei (stinkbug), Eulepinda sp (Christmas beetle), Ruspolia differens (locally known as dzambarafuta) and macrotermes (locally known as ishwa) [3,4]. Entomophagy especially for Imbrasia belina and E. delegorguei is a long-standing practice in Zimbabwe and its continuity has not been affected by changes in lifestyle with passage of time.…”