Main description:

This book explores one of the most discussed and investigated novel foods in recent years: edible insects. The increasing demand for alternative protein sources worldwide had led the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to promote the potential of using insects both for feed and food, establishing a program called "Edible Insects." Although several social, environmental, and nutritional benefits of the use of insects in the human diet have been identified, the majority of the population in Western countries rejects the idea of adopting insects as food, predominantly for cultural reasons.

Nevertheless, international interest in promoting the consumption of insects has grown significantly, mainly in North America and Europe. This trend is mostly due to increasing attention and involvement from the scientific network and the food and feed industries, as well as governments and their constituents.

The book explores the current state of entomophagy and identifies knowledge gaps to inform primary research institutions, students, members of the private sector, and policymakers to better plan, develop, and implement future research studies on edible insects as a sustainable source of food. The case studies and issues presented in this book cover highly up-to-date topics such as aspects of safety and allergies for human consumption, final meat quality of animals fed with insects, the legislative framework for the commercialization of this novel food, and other relevant issues.

Contents:

1. Preface, Paul Vantomme (FAO) 2. Introduction, Editors3. Edible insect species and human consumption: overview on nutritional qualities, ??4. Consumers' perception and food neophobia to edible insects, Mario Amato et al. (University of Naples)5. Consumers preferences and willingness to pay for insect-fed animals: a case study with fish products, Davide Menozzi et al. (University of Parma)6. Health risks, food safety and allergenicity of edible insects: state of the art, Simone Belluco (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle venezie)7. Sensory properties and food appropriateness of insect products..... , Rudy Caparros Megido (University of Liege)8. Edible insects and the new food gastronomy, Halloran Afton et al ... (University of Copenhagen)9. UE and USA Novel food regulatory framework and feed law for the insect market, Francesca Lotta (Lawyer and expert in Food Law)10. Business opportunities and communication strategy for entomophagy in Western countries 11. Conclusions