Proximate Composition and Amino Acids of Four Species of Pine Caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae)

Jian-Zhong He

doi:10.11648/j.aff.20170602.11

Abstract

The objectives of the study were to analyze the nutritional composition of some species of pine caterpillars and to encourage utilization of these forest insect pests, therefore, the study constituted part of IPM (Integrated Pest Management) for these forest pests in China. The results showed that the crude protein (CP) content of the pupae of 4 species ranged from 53.55% to 61.26%. The CP content of the adults of 2 species was 58.04% and 68.30% respectively. The fat and the energy content ranged from 19.75 to 26.46% and from 406 to 473 kcal per 100g for the pupae; 6.56 to 24.63% and 327 to 454 kcal per 100g for the adults respectively. As compared with the essential amino acids according to WHO/FAO/UNU pattern, some of the essential amino acids for human adult nutrition are found to be higher than the levels as recommended by WHO/FAO/UNU.

Highlights

Insects are intentionally consumed as food by people worldwide [13, 21] at all stages of development as eggs, larvae, pupae and adults, but most of them in immature stages [13, 14, 16, 18]
Insects contain a high amount of crude protein, their nutritional value compares very favourably with other foods consumed by humans [17, 22]
The results showed that the crude protein content of the pupae ranged from 53.55% to 61.26%

Summary

Introduction

Insects are intentionally consumed as food by people worldwide [13, 21] at all stages of development as eggs, larvae, pupae and adults, but most of them in immature stages [13, 14, 16, 18]. Insects contain a high amount of crude protein, their nutritional value compares very favourably with other foods consumed by humans [17, 22]. Studies have shown that they are good sources of high quality proteins, fats and minerals [1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 19]. For many species of insects, protein quality, as evaluated by amino acid profiles, compared favorably to those recommended for nutritional purposes by FAO/OMS [18]. Mass rearing of insects as alternative protein sources had been advocated by many workers [7, 18]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion