Insects as food is a subject that has gained a lot of attention in recent time. In order for insect-food to become popular in the west, where insects are currently not consumed, research has to be done on how consumers perceive insect-food, and which consumer groups that eat insects in other countries. This will give a picture of how insects can and should be used on the Swedish market. The purpose of the thesis is to research consumer associations and preferences of insect consumption in Sweden and South Africa. The study examines the question of which consumer groups that eat insects in either country, what associations and preferences consumers have of insect-eating, and how insects can be used in food in the future. An online questionnaire concerning associations, preferences and experiences of insect consumption was distributed in both countries, and was answered by 73 participants. Three producers of insects were interviewed in Sweden and South Africa to get an understanding of the production stage of insects and their experiences of the industry and the consumers, now and in the future. Entomophagy was not found to be more prevalent in any group in neither Sweden nor South Africa. When used in food, consumers prefer insects to be ground into a powder. The South African respondents who had previously eaten insects mainly as an everyday meal preferred the insects to be served whole while the others preferred the insects to be ground into a powder. Insects are often associated with being nutritious, cheap, and being environmentally friendly, as well as with unfamiliarity and disgust. / Insekter som mat är ett ämne som fått mycket uppmärksamhet på senare tid. För att insektsmat ska kunna slå igenom i västvärlden, där insekter i nuläget inte konsumeras, måste man ta reda på hur insektsmat uppfattas av konsumenter, och vilka konsumentgrupper som äter insekter i andra länder. Detta ger en bild av hur insekter kan och bör användas på den svenska marknaden. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka associationer och preferenser rörande insektsmat i Sverige och Sydafrika. Studien undersöker vilka konsumentgrupper som äter insekter i de två länderna, vad konsumenterna har för associationer och preferenser för insektsätande, och hur insekter kan användas i mat i framtiden. En webbaserad enkät skickades ut till konsumenter i vardera land, och besvarades av totalt 73 deltagare. Frågorna handlade om associationer, preferenser och erfarenhet i förhållande till insektsätande. Tre insektsproducenter intervjuades i Sverige och Sydafrika för att ge en förståelse för produktionen samt deras tankar och erfarenheter av branschen och konsumenterna, nu och i framtiden. Oberoende av i vilket land undersökningen genomfördes var det inte möjligt att karaktärisera några konsumentgrupper där entomofagi var mer vanligt förekommande. När insekter används i mat föredrar konsumenter att dessa mals ned till ett pulver. Insekter associeras ofta med att vara näringsrikt, billigt och miljövänligt, samt med ovana och äckel.

<p>Entomophagy, which is the habit of eating insects, has become relevant in the past few years as it could potentially help reduce current and future food insecurity, due to the highly nutritious and sustainable characteristics of edible insects. In addition to the nutritional content of insects, research on the potential bioactive components of insect extracts has also gained popularity. In this study, extracts from house cricket (<i>Acheta domesticus</i>) from two farms and their corresponding feeds were obtained using a microwave-assisted extraction. Further phenolic characterization led to the identification and quantification of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, <i>p</i>-coumaric acid, ferulic acid and syringic acid as major phenolic compounds in both <i>A. domesticus </i>extracts as well as both feed extracts. Additionally, <i>in vitro</i> antioxidant activity was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical cation (DPPH) and 2,2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical assays. In both <i>in vitro</i> assays, <i>A. domesticus</i> extracts showed higher antioxidant activity compared to the feeds. Antibacterial activity against <i>E. coli</i> and <i>L. innocua</i> was also evaluated using the microwell method. The <i>A. domesticus </i>extracts showed a selective inhibition (p<0.05) towards the gram-positive bacteria <i>L. innocua </i>between a period of 4 to 8 h. This inhibition is thought to have occurred as a result of the presence of phenolic acids and antimicrobial peptides, while the feed extracts did not exhibit any inhibitory activity towards any of the bacteria. The finding of the same phenolic acids in <i>A. domesticus</i> and their corresponding feed could imply the capacity of <i>A. domesticus</i> to absorb and sequester dietary phenolics that may provide additional health benefits when the insect is consumed, unveiling new benefits of entomophagy. </p>

I takt med en ökande världspopulation ställs allt hårdare krav på primärproducenter att tillgodose råvaror i adekvata mängder. Forskning inom området är av stor vikt för att hitta nya hållbara källor för näringsämnen som exempelvis protein, eftersom produktionen i dagsläget för med sig många miljömässiga nackdelar. I samband med att EU godkänner insekter som livsmedel får fler upp ögonen för eventuella fördelar som de kan bidra med som råvara. Syftet med denna studien är att undersöka vilken påverkan tillsats av syrsmjöl har på färg, textur, gillande och expansion hos extruderad majskrok. Detta är ett steg i riktningen mot implementering av insekter i västerländsk kost. Genom att analysera vatten och proteinhalt i den extruderade produkten, samt mäta dess färg, textur, radiella expansion och gillande hos konsument kan insamlad data ställas mot varandra och eventuella korrelationer belysas. Resultatet från studien visar att vid högre andel syrsmjöl blir texturen kompaktare, expansionen mindre och en färgförändring sker åt det mörkare hållet. De prov med lägre andel tillsatt syrsmjöl, och därmed en bättre expansion, fick högst gillandepoäng på alla frågeställningar i ett konsumenttest. / In line with a growing world population, higher demands are put on primary producers to supply raw materials in adequate quantities. Research in the area is of great importance in finding new sustainable sources of nutrients such as protein, which presently brings with it many environmental disadvantages. As the EU approves insects as food, more people are becoming aware of potential benefits they can provide. The purpose of this report is to investigate the effect of the addition of cricket flour on the color, texture, liking and expansion of an extruded corn puff. This is a step towards the implementation of insects in the Western diet. By analyzing the water and protein content of the extruded product, as well as measuring its color, texture, radial expansion and consumer appreciation, collected data can be compared and any correlations can be shown. The results of the study show that with a higher proportion of cricket flour the texture becomes more compact, shows less expansion and a color change toward a darker tone. The samples with a lower proportion of added cricket flour, and thus a better expansion, received the highest points of liking on all the questions in the consumer test.

This study is an introduction of the learning of key aspects affecting Swedish people’s acceptance of edible insects, in Växjö and Gothenburg. The study aims to assess the attitudes of people towards edible insects. Public general knowledge about edible insects as well as their perception about benefits that comes with insects is explored. This study tries to contribute to the introduction of edible insects and to get a deeper understanding of how you can influence people’s attitude toward insects. To understand the Swedish acceptance of edible insects this study makes use of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, which is a theory that tries to predict behaviour based on attitude, social pressure, and perceived control over the action. By studying these three categories and the addition if it is morally right or wrong to consume insects, the paper tries to identify what influences the perception to improve it long-term. To get an in-depth understanding of the categories affecting behaviour and perception, this study will make use of semi-instructed interviews. The study will establish three criteria for sampling, gender, age, and education and aims to collect adequate information by using snowball sampling.

The main purpose of this study was to examine the main factors that both positively and negatively influence consumers purchasing behavior in terms of insect-based food. By investigating the factors, the study aimed to shed light on how insect-based food can seamlessly penetrate the Swedish market with the use of marketing strategies. In order to further facilitate the study, a qualitative research with an inductive approach was selected. With the foundation of formulated questions, the semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain deeper insights in relation to the study. The interviewees included Swedish residents in the age range of 20-40 and 13 individual interviews were carried out to ensure the quality of data. The study identified some major contributing factors: sustainability, product quality and availability. These major factors, therefore, created a need for potential marketing strategies, which primarily focuses on extensive information sharing and green labelling.

No description available.

Three dried cricket products – Oven-roasted Cricket Meal (ORCM), Oven-roasted Cricket Powder (ORCP), and Spray-dried Cricket Powder (SDCP) – were prepared and compared to assess their relative nutritional, functional, and sensory properties. The range of particle sizes in SDCP was wider than that of ORCP; while SDCP had more particles in the 7.78-22.0 µm range, it also had more particles in the 176-498 µm range, which contributed to differences in functional and sensory properties. ORCM and SDCP meet the FDA definition of an "excellent source" of vitamin B2, ORCP is a "good source" of vitamin B2, and all three products are an "excellent source" of vitamin B12 and vitamin E at a serving size of 100 g. The addition of ORCP to a protein drink at 30% did not significantly affect its sensory acceptance, while the drink prepared with SDCP was rated significantly worse in every attribute, and the drink prepared with ORCM had varied effects on the different sensory attributes.

Background: A significant increase in the global food demand is expected to occur in the near future. Since the currently implied food system will not be able to meet this demand without impacting the environment negatively, it is crucial to consider alternative ways of producing food. Entomophagy thereby presents an approach that could be deployed to meet the future demand in an environmental and sustainable way. However, whereas multiple studies investigate consumers’ acceptance of insect-based products, little is known about their purchase intentions. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the underlying factors affecting Swedish university-attending Generation Y consumers’ purchase intentions towards insect-based products. In order to fulfill the purpose of this study, two research questions have been developed. Thereby, the Theory of Planned Behavior was chosen as a theoretical framework. Method: The research philosophy of this study adopted elements of both constructionism and interpretivism. Further, this study applied an abductive approach and a qualitative research design with an exploratory purpose. A total of three focus groups were conducted in order to explore purchase intentions towards insect-based products. In addition, a taste test was incorporated in each focus group to explore the participants’ reactions when given the opportunity to try an insect-based product. To adequately reach the selected target population, a combination of a self-selection sampling technique and a convenience sampling technique was employed. Lastly, a content analysis following a directed approach was applied in order to properly analyze the collected data. Conclusion: The empirical findings of this study suggest that eleven factors are contributing to the target populations’ purchase intentions towards insect-based products. Thereby, ten of these factors are connected to the components of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control of the theoretical framework whereas the remaining factor was not categorized within these components. Regarding the conducted taste test, it was found that the large majority of the participants were willing to try. Further, the taste test showed that all participants followed their initial intentions.

Táto diplomová práca je zameraná na nutričné zhodnotenie vybraných práškov hmyzu zo svrčkov domových, z lariev múčiara obyčajného a potemníka stajňového a jedného potravinového produktu na báze hmyzu, ktorý bol tiež vyvinutý ako jeden z cieľov tejto práce. Okrem základných nutričných analýz boli použité aj ICP-OES pre zistenie obsahu minerálov a GC-FID pre zistenie zloženia mastných kyselín. Tiež bol stanovený obsah hrubej bielkoviny pomocou CHNSO analyzátora a stanovený obsah EAA. Pomocou PCA analýzy sa úspešne podarilo rozlíšiť vzorky jednotlivých hmyzích práškov, ktoré potvrdili rozmanitosť jednotlivých druhov hmyzu a vďaka projekcii do roviny hlavných komponent je možné vidieť, v ktorých nutričných parametroch sa najviac líšia. Bola tiež vykonaná senzorická analýza novo vyvinutého produktu na báze hmyzu s prídavkom prášku z potemníka stajňového v porovnaní s konkurenčnými produktmu. Súčasťou práce je aj rozsiahly spotrebiteľský prieskum na vzorke 2 019 účastníkov, týkajúci sa vnímania entomofágie v Českej republike a na Slovensku, ktorý sa uskutočnil online.

MSc (Zoology) / Department of Zoology / Mopane worm (Gonimbrasia belina Westwood) is an indigenous edible insect that periodically has population eruptions in Mopane tree (Colosphermum mopane) dominated vegetation. This insect is a valuable source of food and has become an economic commodity for commercial harvesters. Despite its importance, little is known of the population dynamics of mopane worm. Considerable attention has been paid to the nutritional and social dimensions of mopane worm consumption. However, anecdotal evidence suggests there is a decline in the spatial extent of their distribution due to unsustainable utilization, land transformation, and commercialization. This is paralleled with a decrease of harvest yield, thereby affecting local communities, commercial harvesting operations, and market product availability. Partial domestication of this species may be a way of ensuring sustainable and reliable utilization of this edible insect because it improves natural survival rates. Here I explore mopane worm ecology by mainly focusing on understanding spatial structuring and the role of domestication in the development of sustainable harvest techniques of Mopane worms (G. belina). Spatial structuring of mopane worms was investigated at both a fine (10m x 10m) and medium-scale (1 km2) at sites with and without commercial harvesting. Mopane worm populations were experimentally treated through transplant experiments and manipulating access of predators to 1st – 3rd instar larvae. The role of tree characteristics (height, canopy volume and number of stems) on both spatial and experimental treatments were explored using generalized linear mixed models. Moran’s Eigenvector Maps (MEM’s) were used to represent spatial structures at various scales and the role of soil. Relative to control, seeding of worms was successful in establishing new populations in unoccupied areas while transplant and application of sleeve nets had no significant effect on larval survival. Populations at sites where no harvesting takes place were spatially structured, while this was not true where commercial harvesting takes place. Canopy volume also accounted for egg packets distribution although the relationship was ambiguous. The density of larvae increased with an increase in sodium concentration in soil. Seeding of the population provides a viable option for the sustainable utilization of mopane worms and educating people on how to domesticate mopane worms. This study also highlights that populations of mopane worms are not only clumped in time but also in space and at various spatial scales. / NRF