Novel foods represent sustainable alternatives to traditional farming and conventional foodstuffs. The house cricket (Acheta domesticus) is considered as one of the most promising reared insects due to their attractive nutritional profile and lower feed conversion ratio compared to other animals. However, putative health hazards associated with consumption of crickets have previously not been investigated. The present study assesses the risks of A. domesticus reared in closed systems controlled by the implementation of hazard analysis and critical control points and good farming practices. Due to the novelty of the topic, data scarcity has been a limiting factor, hence comparative evidence from closely related species belonging to the order Orthoptera (e.g. grasshoppers, locusts, and other cricket species) have been included. The present risk profile identified as main hazards: (1) high total counts of aerobic bacteria; (2) presence of spore-forming bacteria post thermal processing; (3) accumulation of cadmium and other heavy metals; and (4) a possible increase of allergenic reactions due to exposure to insects and insect derived products. Important data gaps regarding edible crickets and their safety as novel foods have been highlighted in the future perspective section, representing aims for future research. Identified data gaps include: (1) farming conditions of the insects being studied; (2) data on the impact of thermal processing of the products prior to consumption; (3) fungal communities and mycotoxins-producing fungi in reared crickets; and (4) heavy metals not fully assessed (chromium, aluminium and arsenic) and other chemical hazards produced during processing (i.e. heterocyclic aromatic amines, acrylamide). The present risk profile explores food safety risks related to consumption of A. domesticus, thereby constituting an example of chemical and microbial hazards risk profiling on edible insects, covering rearing to consumption.
REVIEW ARTICLE
The house cricket (Acheta domesticus) as a novel food: a risk profile
X. Fernandez-Cassi Related information
1European Food Safety Authority, EU-FORA fellowship program.
2Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Almas allé 8, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
*Corresponding author: xaviako@gmail. com
#these authors contributed equally to this work
, A. Supeanu Related information2Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Almas allé 8, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
*Corresponding author: xaviako@gmail.
#these authors contributed equally to this work
1European Food Safety Authority, EU-FORA fellowship program.
3Directorate for Animal Health, National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority in Romania, Piata Presei Libere No. 1, Building D1, 013701 Bucharest, Romania.
#these authors contributed equally to this work
, M. Vaga Related information3Directorate for Animal Health, National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority in Romania, Piata Presei Libere No. 1, Building D1, 013701 Bucharest, Romania.
#these authors contributed equally to this work
4Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Almas Allé 8, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
, A. Jansson Related information4Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Almas Allé 8, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
, S. Boqvist Related information2Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Almas allé 8, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
, I. Vagsholm Related information2Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Almas allé 8, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
Journal of Insects as Food and Feed: 5
(2)- Pages: 137 - 157
Published Online: March 06, 2019
Abstract
Keywords: crickets, biological hazards, chemical hazards, novel foods, food safety, risk profile
2022 Journal Impact Factor
5.7
source: Journal Impact Factor 2023™ from Clarivate™
Institutional Offers
For institutional orders, please contact [email protected].
Purchase Options
-
G. Daş, M.M. Seyedalmoosavi, K. Schleifer, M. Mielenz and C.C. Metges
-
-
M. Barrett, S.Y. Chia, B. Fischer and J.K. Tomberlin
-
D.G.A.B. Oonincx and M.D. Finke
-
M. Reverberi
-
K.B. Barragan-Fonseca, M. Dicke and J.J.A. van Loon
-
A. van Huis
-
M. Tschirner and A. Simon
-
S. Kelemu, S. Niassy, B. Torto, K. Fiaboe, H. Affognon, H. Tonnang, N.K. Maniania and S. Ekesi
-
M.B. Ruby, P. Rozin and C. Chan
Now available: Open Access JIFF Special Issue as follow-up of the book 'Insects as food and feed: from production to consumption'
read more