The house cricket – a new source of food or a new source of allergens?

Abstract

Nowadays, there is a growing demand for new types of food which are less resource consuming and cheaper to produce. One solution could be to introduce edible insects on the food market in developing countries, but also in Europe and North America, where entomophagy is a less common practice. The house cricket (Acheta domesticus) is of particular interest because it is an important source of protein, although it is often found as a hidden source in food. Thus, several issues related to consumer’s safety arise. Firstly, there are risks related to contamination with microorganisms and toxins. On the other hand, there is the problem of primary allergen sensitization and the increased potential for cross-reactivity to cricket proteins, with the possibility of developing allergic reactions, up to anaphylactic shock. The cricket, as a member of the arthropod phylum, has many proteins that are similar to those of other insects, house dust mites, crustaceans and also mollusks. The most common panallergens that are responsible for cross-reactions are tropomyosin and arginine kinase. A question which is raised is whether cricket is a new source of food or a new source of allergens.