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. 2024 Jun 6;19(6):e0304944.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304944. eCollection 2024.

Nutritional composition of edible wood borer beetle larvae in Kenya

Shadrack Kibet  1   2 , Cynthia M Mudalungu  1   3 , Brian O Ochieng  1 , Hosea O Mokaya  1 , Njogu M Kimani  2 , Chrysantus M Tanga  1
Affiliations

Nutritional composition of edible wood borer beetle larvae in Kenya

Shadrack Kibet et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Exploration of edible insects as sustainable alternative nutrient-dense sources such as nutraceuticals have attracted more and more global attention recently. However, research on wood borer beetles have largely been overlooked. This study assessed the entomo-chemical properties of Titoceres jaspideus (Cerambycidae) and Passalus punctiger (Passalidae), which are widely consumed in many African countries, including Kenya. The crude protein content of the beetle larvae ranged between 27.5-39.8 mg BSA/g. In comparison with those of cereals, amino acids such as lysine (7.9-9.9 mg/g), methionine (0.48-0.64 mg/g) and threonine (2.31-2.55 mg/g) were considerably high in the larvae. Methyl-5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z-eicosatetraenoate and methyl-9Z-octadecenoate were the predominant polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, respectively. High total phenols (>4.4 mg GAE/g), flavonoids (>3.6 mg QE/g) and anti-oxidative activities (>67%) were recorded for both larvae. This implies that increasing the consumption of wood-borer beetle larvae would positively impact the state of the natural environment and reduce the problem of malnutrition in the society. Thus, applying these strategies to develop insect food in a more familiar form can help to make insect-enriched foods more appealing to consumers, facilitating their widespread adoption as a sustainable and nutritious food source.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Neighbour-joining tree based on CO1 gene sequences showing P. punctiger and T. jaspideus alongside related species.
(A). The numbers at the nodes are bootstrap values. Chrysomelidae (GenBank accession number MW136281) was used as an outgroup. (B) and (C) are photos of T. jaspideus and P. punctiger larvae, respectively.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Protein content (mg BSA/g dw) of P. punctiger and T. jaspideus.
Values are means ± standard deviation of replicates. Different letters above every bar indicate significant differences (p< 0.05).
Fig 3
Fig 3. Radical scavenging activity of T. jaspideus and P. punctiger.
Values are percentage means ± standard deviation of three independent experiments. Means with different letters are statistically different (p< 0.05).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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