Nutritional Composition of House Cricket (Acheta domesticus) and Dung Beetle Larva (Oryctes boas) in Osun State: Implication to Dietary Improvement in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Edible insects and the act of eating insects (Entomophagy) are common across the globe. Feeding variations and species differences, among other factors, influence these individuals’ chemical and mineral components. The current study elucidated the nutritional composition of house cricket (Acheta do-mesticus) and dung beetle larva (Oryctes boas) collected in Osun State, Southwestern Nigeria. Methods: The nutritional composition of the two species of insects sampled randomly was determined following standard methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. The ground crickets and beetle larvae were digested with HNO3 and HCl in a microwave digestion system; inductively coupled plasma-optical emission was used to determine the amounts of Calcium, Sodium, Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Iron, Copper, Manganese, and Zinc in the samples. Following a standard procedure, the amino acid profile was performed using a Biochrom30+ amino acid analyzer (Pharmacia-Biotech, Buckinghamshire, UK). Data obtained were expressed as means ± standard deviations of triplicate analyses and compared among the two insect species using Student’s t-test at p < 0.05. Results: Generally, the nutritional components of A. domesticus were higher than that of O. boas. The O. boas was not significantly higher (P> 0.05) in Iron (6. 83 ± 1. 80 mg/100 g dry matter) but significantly high-er (P< 0.05) in Magnesium (730. 94 ± 2. 64 mg/100 g dry matter) than A. domesticus. All Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) and Non-Essential Amino Acids (NEAAs) were present in the two insect species with varying concentrations. House cricket, however, has a significantly higher (P< 0.05) Arginine, Valine, Phenylalanine, Glutamine, and Glutamic Acid than O. boas. Conclusion: The two insects under this study are edible and of great nutritional values. The results of the nutritional composition of Acheta domesticus and Oryctes boas may serve as the basis for improvement in human food and feed formulation in Nigeria