Schistocerca piceifrons piceifrons (Orthoptera: Acrididae) as a Source of Compounds of Biotechnological and Nutritional Interest

Abstract

The Central American locust, Schistocerca piceifrons piceifrons (Walker) is a major agricultural pest in Mexico and Central America. Control measures against this pest have generated much environmental damage and substantial financial costs because chemical insecticides are used. Yet various Orthoptera species also appear to be a potential source of nutrients and a source of bioactive metabolites. Here, we studied the presence of secondary metabolites in the adult stage of S. p. piceifrons by applying different colorimetric techniques. Adults were collected from the southern region of Tamaulipas, Mexico, during September–December 2017. These samples were subjected to sequential processes of eviscerating, drying, pulverizing, extracting, and detecting of metabolites. Extractions were carried out in water, 50% ethanol, and absolute ethanol. The presence of phenolic compounds, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, and quantity of antioxidants against the DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2, 2′-azino-bis, 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radicals were determined and reported. Proximate analysis showed that S. p. piceifrons has a high protein content (80.26%), low fat content (6.21%), and fiber content (12.56%) similar to other Orthoptera species. Chitin and chitosan contents of S. p. piceifrons were 11.88 and 9.11%, respectively; the recovery percentage of chitosan from chitin was 76.71%. Among the Orthoptera, the protein content of this pest is among the highest while its contents of chitin and chitosan are similar to those of other insect species (e.g., Bombix mori Linnaeus [Lepidoptera: Bombycidae]). Our results suggest this pest species is a potential source of bioactive compounds of biotechnological interest for use by pharmaceutical and food industries.

Biological activity of extracts and hydrolysates from early- and adult-stage edible grasshopper Sphenarium purpurascens

“…Compared with similar edible insects as black cricket Gryllus assimilis (36% of protein) ( 28 ), both stages of grasshoppers contained a higher quantity of protein. Schistocerca piceifrons contains 80.2% of protein, fat 6.2%, ashes 3.3%, and chitin 11.8% ( 29 ), where the content of protein is higher than the value found in grasshoppers. In the case of fat content, 9.35% ± 0.08 was obtained in EG and 13.1% ± 0.09 in AG, which are higher than the fat content reported in S. piceifrons .…”

State of the Art Management of the Central American Locust Schistocerca piceifrons piceifrons (Walker, 1870)

“…Livestock activity and the burning of grasslands are among the major variables that are modifying the CAL habitat. Additional research is being conducted to study the nutritional contents and bioactive compound levels of the CAL [24][25][26], aiming to incorporate this information into its management. The presence of phenolic compounds, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, and quantity of antioxidants against the DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2, 2 -azino-bis, 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) free radicals was reported.…”

“…During the most recent outbreak in 2018-2020, the National Service of Agri-food Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA) introduced the potential use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones for the monitoring of locust populations in addition to land monitoring [20,21]. Currently, several research lines elucidate on the evolution of phase polyphenism, the environmental factors that trigger gregarization and swarm formation, the bioactive compounds and nutritional contents of the CAL, and the improvement of an early warning system (EWS) [8,15,19,[21][22][23][24][25][26]. Hopefully this work will provide novel information and knowledge that helps to improve the management and control strategies of the CAL.…”

Insects as source of phenolic and antioxidant entomochemicals in the food industry

“…Insects are important components of the ecosystem, where they perform essential tasks for its proper function and maintenance. These insects can be pollinizers, phytophagous, predators, parasites, parasitoids, detritivores, among others (1). Over 2,000 arthropod species, including insects, have been linked with entomophagy (enthomos, insect; phagous, feeding) throughout the historical interaction between humans and their environment.…”