Insects could give meaty flavour to alternative foods, study finds

Eating insects could be a healthy alternative to eating meat and can even taste similar, according to a new study.

Researchers from South Korea found that mealworms have similar genetic compounds when cooked to the ones formed in meat and seafood, and could have a ‘meat-like’, savoury taste.

“Insects are a nutritious and healthy food source with high amounts of fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, fiber and high-quality protein, which is like that of meat,” says principal investigator De Hee Cho, the project’s principal investigator.

According to the United Nations, the global population is expected to reach 9.7 billion people by 2050 and nearly 11 billion by 2100. For more people to eat animal meat, such as pigs, cows and sheep, greater amounts of food, water and land is necessary.

Meat production is also a key contributor to the climate crisis, as cows release copious amounts of methane in their burps, meaning more sustainable sources of protein are needed.

For the research, the team compared mealworm aromas throughout its life from egg to adult. They found that while there were some differences in the individual compounds, all of the stages mainly contained volatile hydrocarbons, which evaporate and give off scents that vary from soil, shrimp and sweetcorn.

They also cooked larvae with different methods to compare flavours, and found that steamed mealworms smelled and tasted strongly of sweetcorn, whereas roasted and deep-fried versions tasted more like shrimp and frying oil.

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According to researcher Hojun Seo, the flavor compounds from roasting and frying included pyrazines, alcohols and aldehydes which are similar to the those formed when meat and seafood are cooked.

The team then found that cooking mealworms with sugar caused caramelisation and fatty acid oxidation, which resulted in varying “meat-like” and savory flavours and when a panel of volunteers tasted the insects, many said they tasted like meat.

Dr Cho said while many people enjoy insects as snacks globally, it is not as common in other parts of the world so to encourage more people to regularly eat mealworms, they could be made into seasonings and other food items.

Researchers hope their finding will further the commercialisation of savoury and meat-like sauces and flavourings and encourage the food sector to include edible insects in their products.