Bugs Save the World

Have you ever tried some insect? In Thailand, you always see some of the insect booths around. Some people think that insect eating is disgusting because of the legs, wings and their exoskeleton that gives weird crunchy feeling. However, most people don’t know that the insects have more protein and micro-nutrients than beef and pork. Maybe this is the time we should change our perspective about insect eating and encourage people to try it.

According to “It's Time to Eat Insects,” Arnold van Huis, an entomologist, is organizing the first international conference about insect eating and how this can save the world hunger. This meeting will be the gathering of people in this specialized field from all over the world.

First, insects are all around the world. They are almost 75% of the entire animal on the planet. They have higher reproduction rate, require less feeding and produce less methane gas. Because they are cool-blooded, they don't require much feeding to maintain their temperature like livestock. Now, insect farming is now an interesting option for feeding country with starvation. Furthermore, I have read a reply by our brother P about the artificial meat synthesis in "Meaty Matters: Must We Obey Law?" Could we synthesis the artificial meat from the insects? It may be the way to create more food for people in poor country with the reduced cost.

Second, they have a lot of protein and micronutrients. The Mexican grasshopper called Chapuline has protein content about 35-48 grams per 100 grams of fresh weight. In the other hand, cattle have protein content about 19-26 grams per 100 grams, less than Chapuline. The insects also provide essential fatty acid that is important for children and infant development. Moreover, they have more micronutrients than beef and pork, such as calcium, iron, and zinc, because of their exoskeleton. In the developing countries, they tend to have micronutrient deficiencies. It is the major cause of health problem, mentally and physically. These problem can be solve if we can introduce the insect eating trends into those countries.

However, there are still some problem about insect eating. It is the common problem for everything that has protein in it, the allergy. Ingestion of insect may induce the allergies in people who have allergic history. It is still debatable that cooking and boiling will destroy the allergic components, as protein is normally denatured when heated.

We have eaten insects since prehistoric time, though some society distaste it. But now, we know that it is a very efficient alternative way to reduce world hunger and starvation, so we need to encourage people to look at the another bright side. To make this come true, we still need a lot of work from everyone. This is only our first step into the future.

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References

Cressey, D., Nature Magazine. It's Time to Eat Insects. (2014, May 9). Scientific American. Retrieved May 13, 2014 from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-time-to-eat-insects/

Huis et al. (2013). Edible Insect: Future Prospects For Food and Feed Security. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 67-89. Retrieved May 13, 2013 from FAO website: http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3253e/i3253e.pdf