Cricket Meal (Gryllus bimaculatus) as a Protein Supplement on In Vitro Fermentation Characteristics and Methane Mitigation

Cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus) meal pellets as a protein supplement to improve feed efficiency, ruminal fermentation and microbial protein synthesis in Thai native beef cattle

OBJECTIVE

Replacing soybean meal (SBM) with cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus) meal pellets (CMP) in concentrate diets was investigated for feed efficiency, ruminal fermentation and microbial protein synthesis in Thai native beef cattle.

METHODS

Four male beef cattle were randomly assigned to treatments using a 4×4 Latin square design with four levels of SBM replaced by CMP at 0%, 33%, 67%, and 100% in concentrate diets.

RESULTS

Results revealed that replacement of SBM with CMP did not affect dry matter (DM) consumption, while digestibilities of crude protein, acid detergent fiber and neutral detergent fiber were significantly enhanced (p<0.05) but did not alter digestibility of DM and organic matter. Increasing levels of CMP up to 100% in concentrate diets increased ruminal ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N) concentrations, blood urea nitrogen, total volatile fatty acids and propionate concentration (p<0.05), whereas production of methane and protozoal populations decreased (p<0.05). Efficiency of microbial nitrogen protein synthesis increased when SBM was replaced with CMP.

CONCLUSION

Substitution of SBM with CMP in the feed concentrate mixture at up to 100% resulted in enhanced nutrient digestibility and rumen fermentation efficiency, with increased volatile fatty acids production, especially propionate and microbial protein synthesis, while decreasing protozoal populations and mitigating rumen methane production in Thai native beef cattle fed a rice straw-based diet.

Unraveling the physicochemical attributes of three cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus)-enriched biscuit products and implications on consumers' preference and willingness to pay

Disgust and neophobia elicited by whole insect products, has necessitated the need to mask insect-based food products. The physico-chemical parameters, sensory acceptance, and willingness to pay (WTP) for wheat biscuits supplemented with cricket powder was evaluated. The biscuits' color intensity correlated with the cricket inclusion levels. Spread ration of cricket-enriched-biscuits increased (1.0-1.2-folds), while the hardness and fracturability decreased (1.0-1.3-folds and 1.0-1.2 folds, respectively) compared to the control biscuit. Cricket-biscuits exhibited 1.2-1.7, 1.1-3.7, 1.2-3.0 and 1.1-1.2-folds higher (p < 0.05) protein, ash, fiber, and fat, respectively. Ca, Fe, and Zn were 1.1-3.7, 1.1-1.2 and 1.4-4.0-folds higher, respectively, for cricket-based biscuits. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids proportionally increased with increasing cricket flour. On a likert scale, 71.4%, 71.9%, 38.4% and 57.5% of the caregivers and 38.6%, 58.3%, 40.0% and 34.0% for children (3-5 years) strongly preferred the color, texture, taste and aroma, respectively, of the cricket-based biscuits. Forty-seven (47%) of the caretakers were WTP a premium of 37 Kenyan shillings (0.34 USD) for cricket-based biscuits. Our findings demonstrated that integration of cricket flour into existing market-driven consumer familiar food products significantly increased acceptability and WTP, thus promising potential to contribute to improved food and nutritional security.