Entomophagy refers to the practice of eating insects as food. Insects provide many nutritional benefits as they are high in protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. While insects pose some risks like allergens and toxins, they have significant advantages such as being very nutritious with high calorie content, low in cholesterol, and inexpensive. Many cultures commonly incorporate insects like grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, and beetles into their diets for their health and nutritional benefits.

1. ENTOMOPHAGY

2. WHAT IS ENTOMOPHAGY
• Entomophagy is the practice of eating insects
as food. Entomophagy is found in different
taxonomic groups. There are many insects,
birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals that
benefit from eating insects.

3. ADVANTAGES OF ENTOMOPHAGY
High calorific value
Least cholesterol risk
Most ideal for space travellers
High assimilability (which makes digestion and
conversion easier)
High nutritional standard
Low cost

4. DISADVANTAGES OF ENTOMOPHAGY
• Some insects are source of allergens
• Some insects serve as vectors ,passive carriers ,
or intermediate hosts of pathogen of diseases.
• Some insects are poisonous.
• Many insects produce toxic chemicals and toxic
metabolite.(carboxyl acid ,alkaloids ,aldehydes
,ketones ,alcohol ,phenols ,steroids, etc.)
• Insects eat pesticides spraying plants. This is
harmful to humans.

6. NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF INSECTS

7. Compared to fish, egg and animal meat,
the nutritional value of insects is very
high. They are rich source of proteins,
amino acids, fats, fibres, vitamins and
minerals. As a supplementary source of
food, insects have a significant role in
solving malnutrition, mineral deficiency,
vitamin deficiency, protein deficiency and
calorie deficiency.

8. PROTEIN
• Crude protein content of insects is relatively
high.
• The quality of protein of insects is higher than
that of plant proteins.
• Insect protein has a low content of amino acid
methionine and cysteine, but has higher
content of threonine.

9. FATS
• Fat content of insects is highly variable.
• It is very high in winged termites and also in
caterpillars.
• Since insects are fat-rich, they have higher
calorific value.
• Cholesterol level in insects is relatively very
low.
• Most of the fatty acids are unsaturated.

10. MINERALS AND VITAMINS
• Insects are rich source of minerals and some
vitamins.
• They contain high levels of iron, copper,
calcium, zinc, magnesium, manganese and
phosphorus.
• They contain the vitamins thiamin, riboflavin,
niacin.
• Their high iron content is very vital in
preventing iron deficiency.

11. Commonly used insects
• Hundreds of species of insects have been used
as human food.
• Grasshoppers, locust, crickets, cicadas,
caterpillars, beetle grub, termite queens,
winged termites and ands, several aquatic
insects and their eggs, the larvae and pupae of
bees, ants and wasps, some moths and their
larvae and cocoons and so on.

12. COUNTRIES WHERE ENTOMOPHAGY IS
COMMON
• 1. Africa
• 2. Asia
• 3. Australia
• 4. C. America
• 5. N. America
• 6. S. America

13. • Africa – termites, locusts, grasshoppers, caterpillars
of some butterflies and moths, some weevils etc.
• Annual consumption goes will above 2000 tons.
• Australia – Aborigines of Australia eat several
insects as part of their normal diet.
• Bogong moth, larvae of the moth Xyleutes
leuchmochla and the larvae ,pupae, and honey of
the bee Trigona
• Mexico – Nearly 40% of the 500 insects are used
by Mexicans.
• Bug, beetles, ants, bees and the caterpillars of
butterflies and moths.

14. • Thailand – Giant water bug Lethocerus indicus and
the larvae and pupae of Bombyx mori
• Japan – Rice grasshopper, larvae, pupae and adults
of the wasps Vespula lewsi and Vija ponica.

15. THANK YOU