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.

This dissertation will investigate the role that architecture can play in the influencing of an existing food culture through the introduction of insect consumption (entomophagy). This alternative food source will be used to illustrate a more sustainable agricultural practice. / Dissertation MArch(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2014 / Architecture / MArch(Prof) / Unrestricted

Studien utforskar ett arbetsperspektiv för produktdesigners i användningen av prototyper, och bidrar därmed till efterfrågan av mer kunskap kring prototypen som verktyg eller metod inom designområdet. Baserat på en hypotes kring appliceringen av externa teorier i utvecklingen och användningen av prototyper, utforskar studien detta genom temat entomofagi som är praktiken av att äta insekter. Studiens övergripande metodik är av kvalitativ karaktär, förstudien använder sig av desktop research, en intervju och ett studiebesök. Det efterföljande designarbetet består av två designexperiment, det första som en intervention tillsammans med en observation och det andra som en digital probe. Designexperimenten utfördes iterativt och den insamlade datan analyserades tematiskt. Insikter från dessa experiment sammanställdes och analyserades mot huvudfrågan, som lyder hur kan produktdesignerns förståelse om prototypen breddas genom ett prototyparbete grundat i provokation? Studien resulterade i en arbetsmodell för produktdesigners som arbetar med designprocesser inom området kritisk och spekulativ design. Arbetsmodellen kallas Tubkikaren, den hjälper designpraktiker att definiera utgångspunkten och avsikten bakom valet och utvecklingen av prototyper i designprocesser. Modellen bär potentialen att underlätta designprocessen och utvecklingen av prototyper på en individuell nivå, samt utgör en möjlig grund för vidare utforskning av prototyper och designmetodik. / The study explores a possibility of how product designers can work with the method prototype, and thus make a contribution to the request for more knowledge about the prototype as a tool or method within the design field. Based on a hypothesis around the application of external theories in the developement and use of prototypes, the study explores this possibility through the theme of enthomophagy which is the practice of eating insects. The overall methodology of the study is qualitative, the pilot study conducts desktop research, an interview and a study visit. The following design work consists of two designexperiments, the first one as a public intervention paired with an observation and the second as a digital probe. The designexperiments were conducted iteratively and the data collected from the these is analyzed thematically. Finally, the insights collected from the designexperiments are gathered and analyzed against the main question, which is how can designers understanding of prototypes be broadened through design work based in provocation? The study resulted in a work modell for product designers that work with design processes within the area of critical and speculative design. The work model is called the Spotting Scope, and is inspired by its namesake. It helps design practitioners to define the starting point and intention behind the choice and developement of prototypes in design processes. This model carries the potential to alliviate the design process and development of prototypes on a individual level. It also carries the potential for creating a base for further exploration of prototypes and design methodology.

Insektkonsumtion, det vill säga entomofagi, har kommit i rampljuset på senare tid, då insekter ses som ett hållbart livsmedelsalternativ. Insekter har länge konsumerats i delar av världen men varit associerat med neofobi och äckel i västvärlden. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vuxna svenskars attityder kring entomofagi. För att besvara detta, utformades och delades en webbenkät över sociala nätverk, varifrån 237 respondenter rekryterades. Enkäten använde det validerade enkätinstrumentet Entomophagy Attitude Questionnaire (EAQ) sommäter attityder kring äckel gentemot insekter, intresse för insekter samt indirekt entomofagi,vilket är att använda insekter som foder till uppfödning av animalieproduktion. Därtill undersöktes hållbarhetsattityd och om respondenterna hade konsumerat insekter tidigare, förutom demografiska data. Data kvantifierades och överfördes till statistiska analysprogram. Data bestod av 231 giltiga svar som analyserades, tolkades och jämfördes med andra studier som använt EAQ. Resultaten visade att respondenterna hade en positiv inställning mot entomofagi. Mest positiv attityd hade de som tidigare provat insekter. Denna studies fynd ger en bredare indikation på hur introduktion av entomofagi kan göras strategiskt i Sverige.Därtill åskådliggörs framtida forskningsbehov. / The consumption of insects, or entomophagy, has recently become subject to debate due to its nature as a sustainable food practice. While insects have long been consumed in parts of the world entomophagy has been associated with neophobia and has sparked disgust in the west. The purpose of this study is to explore Swedish adults’ attitudes on entomophagy. This was done through a web-based survey which was shared over social networks, and 237 respondents were recruited. The survey was based on the validated survey tool called Entomophagy Attitude Questionnaire (EAQ), which measures attitudes on disgust towards insects, interest towards insects, and indirect entomophagy, which is using insects as feed to other livestock. On top of this, the survey measured attitudes on sustainability and earlier consumption of insects as well as demographical data. Data were quantified and uploaded to a program for statistical analyses, after which data were analysed and interpreted. Out of the 237 survey responses 231 were considered valid and were utilised. Results were compared to other studies using the EAQ. The results showed that the sample had a positive attitude towards entomophagy. The group that had engaged in entomophagy before yielded the most positive attitudes. The results of this study give a broader indication of how entomophagy could strategically be introduced in Sweden. In addition, this study indicates future research needs

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.

The premise of the thesis is that current food systems are unsustainable. In fact, as the global population continues to rise, food systems are under greater strain to deliver quality output in a sustainable way. In sustainable food systems, effective use of agricultural land and reducing food waste are central, as stipulated by Agenda 2030 target to reduce food waste by 50 % to 2030. Insects have gained attention for their ability to effectively convert feed, including feed from food waste, to edible products. Framed by a literature review and an analysis of food waste data from a Swedish supermarket, the ability to rear three insect species, House Cricket (Acheta Domesticus), Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio Molitor) and Black Soldier fly (Hermetia Illucens) on food waste is examined. The three insect species with the addition of laying hens are also the grounding for evidence-based scenarios. The results indicate that the Black Solider Fly can be reared on unprocessed food waste while the House Cricket requires food waste treated for higher levels of protein and phosphorus and the Yellow Mealworm food waste supplemented by external products such as yeast, carrots or wheat bran. The result from the scenarios shows that substantial amounts of edible output can be produced by providing the insects and laying hens vegetable food waste from the supermarket. The conclusion of this thesis highlights the potential of using insects and laying hens as feed converters in integrated production systems to recover energy and nutrients from food waste and thereby contribute to a food system that produces more output using less land and with less negative environmental impact.

No description available.

As more and more people question our meat consumption and alternative diets are on the rise, consuming insects as an alternative protein source has become a part of the conversation about sustainable foods in western countries. The attitudes towards the topic are mixed due to insects being a rare food in western countries but in countries such as Sweden the attitudes towards eating insects are often negative. People often reject the idea of eating insects because they simply don’t see them as edible, but why are insects not edible when other animals such as cows are a typical food? This project aims to discover what moral differences there are between different animals and how these differences affect what meat we can or can’t eat and how we view insects as food.

This ethnographic study examines the state of entomophagy in Sweden amongst a group of ‘middle-class’ individuals living in urban areas of the country. In this endeavor, an analytical perspective that focuses on the embodied cultural-sensorial processes which influence how people perceive and engage with insects as food provides a richer picture, as opposed to an approach that privileges exclusively symbolic or discursive representations. The rejection of insects as food is not considered to be a fixed state, but instead as something continuously made in everyday life, and therefore subject to change. It is found that those that currently do not eat insects experience notions of aversion at the prospect, and this is because the presence of insects in food, and in places associated with eating, go against the sensibilities they have embodied as members of their cultural group. The absence of insects as food in Sweden is contextualized by discussing the history of entomophagy in Europe, the politics of commercially produced and sold insects, as well as the consequent non-existent market of insect-based food products in Sweden. The incorporation of insects into a number of enthusiasts’ consumption of food is also examined, focusing on the perceptual and sensorial negotiation that underlies this culinary integration. What is argued is that further attention should be given to the contextually situated bodily experiences associated with food and eating that determines the potential presence of insects in people’s consumption of food.

Insects have been proposed as a sustainable alternative to livestock to help feed the growing population. Edible insects such as mealworms require less land and resources and can utilize food by-products to grow. While insects are consumed by over 2 billion people worldwide, they are not widely accepted in developed countries like the United States because of their unfamiliarity and the perception of disgust associated with entomophagy. The objectives of this research are to 1) grow mealworms using carrot pomace and determine an optimum diet for growth and nutritional composition, 2) identify and classify early adopters of insects, and propose a product form, and 3) assess the acceptability of frozen, ready-to-cook mealworms with early adopters. A response surface design was used to evaluate the use of carrot pomace in various percentages in the substrate and as the moisture source in a mealworm growing system. Mealworms were grown under controlled conditions in a climate chamber until they began to pupate, and statistical models were fitted to predict mealworm mortality, weight, days to pupation, protein content, fat content, and moisture content. An algorithm in Design Expert was used to optimize mealworm growth based on maximizing mealworm weight and minimizing mortality and days to pupation, and the optimum diet was found to be 36% carrot pomace in the substrate with carrot pomace as the moisture source. Early adopters of insects were identified through a survey using Red Jade Sensory Software. Participants were segmented using partitioning around medoids clustering algorithm based on responses to questions on willingness to consume insects in a variety of forms. Four segments were identified: No-thank-you’s, Hideaways, Daredevils, and Peekaboo’s. Daredevils, Peekaboo’s, and Hideaways are early adopters of insects in the nonvisible form, and Daredevils and Peekaboo’s are also early adopters of insects in the visible form. Based on these insights, frozen, ready-to-cook mealworms were selected to target Daredevils and Peekaboo’s as a product to serve as a sustainable alternative to traditional livestock protein. Participants from each of the four segments were shown a video of mealworm cooking and asked their willingness to buy the product and the motivation behind their response. The majority of respondents were unwilling to buy this product, driven by unfamiliarity and the perception of disgust. However, over half of Daredevils were willing to buy the product, driven by the novelty and ease of preparation. Marketing a product towards this group may be a feasible route for entry into the market and increase the familiarity of edible insects, thereby contributing to long-term acceptability.