Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1984. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

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Thesis--Uppsala. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 218-223).

Thesis (PhD. (Zoology)) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / Edible insects have been used as a nutritious food source by mankind for millennia, but in the modern era their use in more industrialised and western countries has dwindled. In the face of concern over the global food security crisis, scientists are urging investigation into edible insects as an alternate food. This study contributes to this global initiative by investigating entomophagy in the Blouberg area of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The research develops a database of Blouberg edible insects, documents the importance of entomophagy to the people of Blouberg and for the wider community, and investigates aspects of the biology, ecology, socio-economics and nutritional value of a key species harvested in the area. Semi-structured questionnaires were carried out between 2007 and 2008 amongst households in the vicinity of Blouberg Mountain. Nearly 91% of the households in the Blouberg area consume insects. The most important reasons cited for consuming insects are that they are a traditional food, that they taste good and that they are a free food resource. Twenty eight species of edible insects were identified to at least genus level. Education was more important than income in influencing whether or not insects were consumed in a household. Households with lower education scores were more likely to consume insects than those with mid-level education scores. However, those with low income scores consumed a greater quantity of insects than those with higher scores. Similarly, those with low education scores consumed more insects than those with higher education scores. Pasture land was the area most preferred for collecting insects, with crop lands second in importance. Natural vegetation was not a preferred collecting habitat. Most households (78.57%) believe there has been a decline in edible insect consumption in recent years. According to the Blouberg insect collectors, edible insects are also on the decline in Blouberg and most households are unhappy about this. The lepidopteran, Hemijana variegata (bophetha), which was targeted for more in depth research, was found to be univoltine in the field, with caterpillars emerging in early November. The caterpillars feed predominantly on Canthium armatum and to a lesser extent on Pyrostria hystrix. They take four weeks to develop, burrowing into the soil to overwinter as pupae to emerge as adults in late spring. The development of the moth is profoundly influenced by temperature at all life stages and ceased below 17ºC and above 35ºC. Temperatures between 23ºC and 29ºC were most favourable for growth. The food value of the bophetha caterpillars was found to be high. The protein value of traditionally prepared caterpillars is 45.5%, with carbohydrates at 11.86 mg/100 g and fat at 19.75%. The caterpillars are not as rich in vitamins as fruit or vegetables, but compare favourably with beef. Traditionally prepared bophetha were found to be contaminated by two bacteria and one fungus, none of which are dangerously pathogenic to humans. Bophetha are traded between Blouberg villages at costs equivalent to other edible insects in South Africa (R10.19 per cup). Almost one third of Blouberg inhabitants sell bophetha, with this percentage decreasing to about 10% in poor seasons. Households collect between 3 and 3.5 litres of bophetha per season. Blouberg households are of the opinion that knowledge about edible insects is important enough that it should be included in formal education as a way of ensuring that the younger generation assimilates aspects of this knowledge despite cultural changes. The results of the study emphasise the importance of natural resource use with respect to edible insects in a marginalised community.

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Replacing meat from animals with cultured meat and edible insects might reduce the impact on climate and the environment. That said, in order to fulfill their function as a sustainable food, insects and cultured meat would need to be consumed, on a wider scale and with a real-time reduction in meat consumption.   The aim of this study was to explore consumers' attitudes toward consuming insects and cultured meat, whilst gathering an understanding of what consumers, themselves, believe to be acceptable to consume in the future. Fifteen individual semi-structured interviews, of both men and women, were conducted outside a supermarket in central Sweden. Data was transcribed and analyzed thematically. The results highlight that for some respondents, insects are perceived as alien and undesirable, while cultured meat was perceived as too unnatural to be eaten; whilst others expressed both reluctance and a curiosity towards cultured meat and edible insects. Most respondents believed they will eat less meat, more vegetables and vegetarian protein in the future, and might try insects and cultured meat in hidden forms such as in sausage. The conclusion was that consumers had a mixed attitude toward eating insects and cultured meat. / Enligt FN och FAO måste matvanorna i västvärlden ändras eftersom de inte är hållbara. Jordbruket orsakar utsläpp av stora mängder växthusgaser, och köttproduktionen står för den allra största delen av dessa. Ätbara insekter och odlat kött kan vara alternativa proteinkällor till exempelvis kött, de är mer miljövänliga med avseende på koldioxidutsläpp, vattenförbrukning, markanvändning och energiåtgång. För att livsmedlen ska fylla sin funktion som hållbara proteinkällor så krävs det att de konsumeras av befolkningen. Syftet med denna studie var att studera svenska konsumenters attityder till att äta insekter och odlat kött, samt att undersöka vad konsumenterna själva tror att de kommer att äta i framtiden.   Studien är kvalitativ med en fenomenologisk ansats. Data insamlades med hjälp av intervjuer. 15 personer i olika åldrar deltog i studien, varav 8 kvinnor och 7 män.   Resultatet visade att det finns en blandad attityd till att äta insekter och odlat kött. Insekter upplevdes som främmande och äckligt, och odlat kött som alltför onaturligt för att ätas. Det fanns både en tveksamhet och en nyfikenhet hos respondenterna till dessa alternativa proteinkällor. Hos de som hade en positiv attityd till att äta livsmedlen uppgavs miljövinsterna som främsta anledning till att konsumera dem. Hos de som hade en negativ attityd angavs känslor av äckel som främsta anledning till att inte konsumera insekter och odlat kött. Om insekterna eller det odlade köttet var dolt såsom i korv kunde vissa respondenter tänka sig att äta. Faktorer som ett fördelaktigt pris, god tillgänglighet och att produkter baserade på odlat kött och insekter är godkända enligt livsmedelslagstiftning, påverkade respondenternas villighet att konsumera dessa. Respondenterna trodde framförallt att de kommer att äta mindre kött, mer grönsaker och mer vegetariskt protein i framtiden.   Slutsatsen är att det finns både positiva och negativa attityder till att äta insekter och odlat kött. Viljan att konsumera produkter baserade på dessa livsmedel verkar öka om livsmedlet är dolt, såsom i korv. Detta gäller både för insekter och odlat kött.

Food insecurity can contribute to the advancement of diseases such as growth stunting and HIV/AIDS. A holistic approach to addressing food insecurity includes reviewing local resources; including indigenous food stuffs. Six studies investigate the potential of insect nutrition to meet dietary needs in rural South Africa. A novel trapping method for Trinervitermes sp. is examined by parameters of time, sustainability and bait used. Local grass (Themeda triandra Forssk.) seemed to be the most effective bait, being significantly more attractive than loose mound soil (p=0.01), wet maize stalks (p=0.01) or cardboard (p=0.05). The trapping device was demonstrated as an effective tool in assessing the feeding preferences of Trinervitermes sp., which compete directly with cattle for grazing food resources. The chemical composition of Macrotermes natalensis alates (winged, wingless and fried), soldiers, and Odontotermes sp. alates (wingless) was determined. Alates were rich in fat, ranging between 49.2-60.6% (dry matter basis). The protein content ofM natalensis and Odontotermes sp. alates compared favourably to pork and chicken. Alates were high in glutamic, aspartic and alanine amino acids and low in methionine, serine and threonine. Amino acid digestion for broiler chickens was high, ranging between 87.6-96.1%. In an era where rural and urban cultures are rapidly merging, entomophagy may be discarded as an embarrassment or nonsensical practice. The high nutritional content of M natalensis and Odontotermes sp. should be publicised both to increase the awareness of their high quality as a food source for both poultry and human consumption and to avoid the abandonment of cultural practices that make sense. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative research paper was to explore how consumers with an environmental identity evaluate new, environmentally friendly substitutes for meat, with edible insects given as an example. Problem: An increasing number of Swedish consumers show an overall negative attitude towards consuming meat, mainly due to environmental concerns, and express this by identifying themselves as vegetarians or flexitarian. Edible insects possess the potential to become an environmentally friendly, nutritious and innovative meat substitute in Sweden. Although the demand for new environmentally friendly meat substitutes is high, the intentions of consuming edible insects are low in Western societies. This causes researchers to ask why this conflict is.                                                                                                                               Methodology: In order to fulfill the purpose and to answer the research question, a qualitative research approach was adopted. Eight semi-structured interviews were used in the empirical data collection process. The chosen target group was vegetarians and flexitarians of Generation Y, and the sample was chosen through judgmental sampling.                                                                                                                                 Findings: This empirical study examines an extensive confusion and conflicted standpoints among consumers when evaluating edible insects. However, the authors examine a high willingness and positive attitude towards consuming edible insects. Five key factors that influence the evaluation of edible as a meat substitute have been identified: the animalistic qualities of insects, if insects are perceived as meat or vegetarian, if edible insects are ‘green’, proof and facts, and what product category edible insects belong to.

En växande global befolkning och tilltagande problem med klimatförändringar är starkt bidragande faktorer till ett ökande behov av mer hållbara och näringsrika livsmedel, varav ett livsmedelsalternativ som har presenterats är ätbara insekter. Konceptet med ätbara insekter är relativt nytt i Västvärlden och speciellt i Sverige där engagemanget inom fältet fortfarande är väldigt begränsat. För att bidra till en eventuell marknadsintroduktion av ätbara insekter har ett litet antal involverade aktörer en central roll för frågans utveckling. Därmed är syftet med denna studie att analysera hur involverade aktörer ser på marknadsintroduktion av ätbara insekter i Sverige. Syftet är även i ljuset av forskning om ätbara insekter och tidigare debatt om genmanipulerade grödor (GMO) bidra till en vidare diskussion om möjligheter för användningen av ätbara insekter i Sverige. Analysen och slutsatser från studien visar att aktörerna ser positivt på en marknadsintroduktion av ätbara insekter både som livsmedel och foder, men endast som en väldigt begränsad del av Sveriges livsmedelssystem. Utifrån aktörers syn och även tidigare forskning är det möjligt att introducera ätbara insekter på marknaden. Det finns dock även flera faktorer som kan hindra marknadsintroduktionen i Sverige. Exempelvis träder en ojämn konkurrenssituation mellan länder fram i analysen som ett möjligt hinder för införandet: en del länder som Nederländerna har kommit längre i processer i fråga om ätbara insekter, vilket kan minska motivationen hos svenska företagare och andra aktörer att utvecklas inom branschen. Orsaken till detta är diverse tolkningar av den ursprungliga förordningen för nya livsmedel (EU) No. 258/97 som innebar oklarheter angående ätbara insekter. / The climate change and the growing global population have led to a need for new, more sustainable, and nutritious sources of food. Edible insects are one of the presented alternative solutions to cope with the problem. The concept is relatively new in the Western world, especially in Sweden where the involvement in the field is limited. In order to contribute to the market introduction of edible insects, the dedication of different actors in the field has a central role in this issue. Consequently, the aim of this study is to analyse how actors involved in the edible insects network perceive the market introduction of edible insects in Sweden. The aim is also to contribute to a further discussion on possibilities for the use of edible insects in Sweden in the light of the introduction of GMOs. The analysis and the conclusions from the study show that the actors have relatively positive perceptions of a market introduction of edible insects both as food and feed, though only as a relatively limited part of the national food system. Based on the actors´ views and previous studies there are opportunities to introduce edible insects to the Swedish market. However, there are several factors that can hinder the market introduction in Sweden. For example, competition between countries has been highlighted as a possible obstacle: the original novel food regulation had led to different interpretations between countries concerning edible insects, which included differences between Western countries in possibilities to introduce insects to the market. Countries such as the Netherlands have more conducive market conditions and have already had insects on the market for several years, while in Sweden the market is still negligible, which can lead to lack of motivation to develop this branch of industry.