Harnessing Insects as Novel Food Ingredients: Nutritional, Functional, and Processing Perspectives

Abstract

The rising demand for sustainable protein is driving interest in insects as a raw material for advanced food ingredients. This review collates and critically analyses over 300 studies on the conversion of crickets, mealworms, black soldier flies, and other farmed species into powders, protein isolates, oils, and chitosan-rich fibers with targeted techno-functional roles. This survey maps how thermal pre-treatments, blanch-dry-mill routes, enzymatic hydrolysis, and isoelectric solubilization-precipitation preserve or enhance the water- and oil-holding capacity, emulsification, foaming, and gelation, while also mitigating off-flavors, allergenicity, and microbial risks. A meta-analysis shows insect flours can absorb up to 3.2 g of water g^-1, stabilize oil-in-water emulsions for 14 days at 4 °C, and form gels with 180 kPa strength, outperforming or matching eggs, soy, or whey in specific applications. Case studies demonstrate a successful incorporation at 5-15% into bakery, meat analogs and dairy alternatives without sensory penalties, and chitin-derived chitosan films extend the bread shelf life by three days. Comparative life-cycle data indicate 45-80% lower greenhouse gas emissions and land use than equivalent animal-derived ingredients. Collectively, the evidence positions insect-based ingredients as versatile, safe, and climate-smart tools to enhance food quality and sustainability, while outlining research gaps in allergen mitigation, consumer acceptance, and regulatory harmonization.

Keywords: chitosan; edible insects; functional food ingredients; insect flour; life-cycle assessment; sustainable protein; techno-functional properties.

Figure 1

Global entomophagy landscape. (A) Cultural reliance on insects (Entomo-Index, 0–3). (B) Number of recorded edible insect species (bubble size). (C) Food use regulatory status, 2025 (green = approved, orange = under review, blue = feed-only, gray = no framework). Data are drawn from [8,11], Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) regional reports, and related ethnographic sources.

Figure 2

Macronutrient partitioning (A) and key micronutrients (B) of fifteen widely studied edible insects (dry matter basis). Together with the data reviewed below, the figure illustrates how insects combine a dense supply of protein and lipids with appreciable fiber and micronutrients, all of which can be channeled into distinct ingredient streams through relatively simple processing.

Figure 3

Comparative mass and chemical energy balances (Sankey diagrams) for 1 kg of fresh biomass from four commercially relevant edible insects processed through the blanch → dry → mill chain. Panels show the partitioning into protein, oil, chitin and moisture streams—with the intrinsic chemical energy (MJ) annotated on the solid fractions—for the (A) mealworm larva (T. molitor) [97], (B) house cricket (A. domesticus) [98], (C) black soldier fly larva (H. illucens) [99], and (D) migratory locust (L. migratoria) [100]. The consistent layout highlights the higher lipid yield of larval species (A,C) and the leaner protein-rich profile of adult Orthoptera (B,D).