Acheta Domesticus Research Articles

Does Selection for Longevity in Acheta domesticus Involve Sirtuin Activity Modulation and Differential Response to Activators (Resveratrol and Nanodiamonds)?

Sirtuins, often called "longevity enzymes", are pivotal in genome protection and DNA repair processes, offering insights into aging and longevity. This study delves into the potential impact of resveratrol (RV) and nanodiamonds (NDs) on sirtuin activity, focusing on two strains of house crickets (Acheta domesticus): the wild-type and long-lived strains. The general sirtuin activity was measured using colorimetric assays, while fluorescence assays assessed SIRT1 activity. Additionally, a DNA damage test and a Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were carried out. Experimental groups were fed diets containing either NDs or RV. Notably, the long-lived strain exhibited significantly higher sirtuin activity compared to the wild-type strain. Interestingly, this heightened sirtuin activity persisted even after exposure to RVs and NDs. These findings indicate that RV and NDs can potentially enhance sirtuin activity in house crickets, with a notable impact on the long-lived strain. This research sheds light on the intriguing potential of RV and NDs as sirtuin activators in house crickets. It might be a milestone for future investigations into sirtuin activity and its potential implications for longevity within the same species, laying the groundwork for broader applications in aging and lifespan extension research.

Acheta domesticus (house cricket) as human foods ‐ An approval of the European Commission ‐ A systematic review

AbstractEntomophagy (consumption of insects) has been proposed as one of the important solutions to the food crisis caused by population growth. Despite a long history of insect consumption, numerous challenges have arisen that question the feasibility of using insects as a food source. It should be notifying that Acheta domesticus (house cricket) is recently approved by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/188 as a novel food ingredient. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the house cricket is paramount for fostering a proper appreciation of its potential as a food source. This review aims to provide comprehensive and in‐depth information on the house cricket, covering various aspects such as its consumption, bioecology, nutritional value, health benefits, harvesting and rearing, and processing methods for use as a food source. Additionally, the consumer acceptance of house cricket will be discussed and specific information on why it has gained approval in the European Union will also be provided. The consumption of crickets has a long history as both food and feed. They are environmentally friendly to rear, making them an attractive option for human consumption. House cricket, in particular, holds promise as a sustainable alternative to traditional farming and conventional food sources due to its nutritional and pharmaceutical properties. Different processing methods enhance its potential. However, there are challenges regarding public acceptance, which can be overcome through diverse processing techniques and applications. Further research and efforts are needed to expand the acceptance and application of A. domesticus.

Potential of Cricket (Acheta domesticus) Flour as a Lean Meat Replacer in the Development of Beef Patties.

This study examined the incorporation of cricket (Acheta domesticus) flour (CF) (0, control; 5.0%, CF5.0; 7.5%, CF7.5; and 10.0%, CF10.0) as a lean meat replacer in beef patties and its impact on composition, microbiological, sensory, and technological properties, as well as its influence on the cooking process. The inclusion of CF led to beef patties with significantly higher protein levels than the control group. Additionally, an elevation in total viable (TVC) and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts was observed. However, Enterobacteriaceae counts remained at safe levels. CF5.0 demonstrated similar sensory scores and purchase intention to the control treatment. CF7.5 and CF10.0 showed comparable sensory scores to the control except for texture attributes. The inclusion of CF significantly reduced cooking loss and diameter reduction values. Beef patties with CF were notably firmer and had a browner color than the control. In general, the cooking process impacted the technological properties similarly in both the control and beef patties with CF. In all cooked samples, no significant differences in pH, redness (a*), or texture were observed. This study demonstrated that incorporating up to 5.0% CF into beef patties is optimal in terms of composition, technological, sensorial, and cooking properties.

The distinctive effect of different insect powders as meat extenders in beef burgers subjected to cooking and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion

Mealworm (MWP), migratory locust (LP), and house cricket (CP) are novel foods recently authorized by the European Commission. This work tested their powders as meat extenders at 5% inclusion in beef burgers. Insect powders were abundant in phenolics, recording the highest values in LP (1184.9 μg/g). The sensory analysis highlighted a higher visual and olfactory acceptability for MWP-burgers, followed by CP- and LP-burgers, whereas the texture of cooked burgers remained unaffected. Following pan-cooking, MWP-burgers and control exhibited comparable chemical profiles, while a significant down-accumulation of the heterocyclic amine 2-Amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline was observed in CP-burgers. In vitro gastrointestinal digestion highlighted metabolomic trends like control for MWP- and LP-burgers. In contrast, a reduced accumulation of lipids and increased content of dipeptides like glutaminylarginine (possibly acting as enzyme modulators) was observed for the CP-burgers.

Microbiological and parasitological risk analysis of novel food sources obtained with the use of insects

The problem of food safety being an important component of the country's food security, provides not only for continuous improvement of the methodology of hygienic standardization, but also for the formation of requirements for novel food, in particular, those obtained from non-traditional sources. The accumulated practical and theoretical competence in the food hygiene area, as well as knowledge of current trends of the food base broadening, allow us to analyze the risks associated with novel food obtained of insects. The purpose of the research was to analyze the microbiological and parasitological risk of novel food sources obtained with the use of insects, suggest the effective risk management measures. Material and methods. The analytical part of the work included literature search, collection of information and statistical materials published in domestic and foreign scientific editions. The search was carried out using the Google Academy retrieval system and electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, eLIBRARY), mainly in the last 25 years, using the keywords: Hermetia illucens, Tenebrio molitor, Acheta domesticus, insects, parasite, nematode, pathogen, cysts. Results. Based on the published materials' analysis, a systematization of microbiological and parasitological factors potentially capable of colonizing edible insects has been carried out. There were identified representatives of 24 groups of pathogenic and 18 opportunistic microorganisms and helminths related to microbial and parasitic pathogens, the spread of which is significantly influenced by inappropriate conditions of feeding and keeping insects. As there are currently no veterinary requirements for insect breeding and farming conditions, contamination of end products with infectious and parasitic pathogens can vary over a very wide range. Conclusion. The use of native insect biomass carries certain risks associated with its microbial and parasitic contamination, and the development of measures to prevent them requires significant resources. The possibility of deep processing of such raw materials can be considered as one of the solutions to mitigate these risks. For use in the food industry, insects should be subjected to processing similar to that currently used for soybean seeds, which includes separation of protein (entomoprotein), fat and chitin fractions, each of which would have an independent use. Thus, at present, insects should be considered as a source of novel food ingredients, first of all, complete protein of animal origin.

Preliminary studies on morphology and distribution of field crickets (Gryllinae) from district Jacobabad, Sindh, Pakistan

Field crickets were collected from agricultural fields and the surrounding vegetation of district Jacobabad through traditional insect nets and by hand picking. The collected specimens were 321, which were sorted out into single sub-family Gryllinae falling into 05 genera and 07 species, i.e. Gryllodes sigillatus (Walker, 1869), Gryllodes supplicans (Walker, 1859), Gryllus bimaculatus (De-Geer, 1773), Acheta burdigalensis (Latreille, 1804), Acheta domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758), Gryllopsis histrio (Saussure, 1877) and Teleogryllus commodus (Walker, 1869). The maximum population of Acheta domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) was 36%, and Gryllodes supplicans (Walker, 1859) was 24%. While the minimum population of Gryllopsis histrio (Saussure, 1877) was 3%, and Acheta burdigalensis (Latreille, 1804) was 5%, respectively. Additionally, a detailed description of species and distribution is provided. Finding field crickets from this area will be instrumental for the farmers and researchers concerned with the biodiversity of this group.

Evaluation of In Vitro Protein Hydrolysis in Seven Insects Approved by the EU for Use as a Protein Alternative in Aquaculture.

Rapid population growth is leading to an increase in the demand for high-quality protein such as fish, which has led to a large increase in aquaculture. However, fish feed is dependent on fishmeal. It is necessary to explore more sustainable protein alternatives that can meet the needs of fish. Insects, due to their high protein content and good amino acid profiles, could be a successful alternative to fishmeal and soybean meal traditionally used in sectors such as aquaculture. In this work, seven species of insects (Hermetia illucens, Tenebrio molitor, Acheta domestica, Alphitobius diaperinus, Gryllodes sigillatus, Gryllus assimilis, and Musca domestica) approved by the European Union (UE) for use as feed for farmed animals (aquaculture, poultry, and pigs) were studied. Their proximate composition, hydrolysis of organic matter (OMd), hydrolysis of crude protein (CPd), degree of hydrolysis (DH/NH2 and DH/100 g DM), and total hydrolysis (TH) were analyzed. The results showed that Tenebrio molitor had digestibility similar to that of fishmeal, while Acheta domestica and Hermetia illucens provided similar digestibility to that of soybean meal. The acid detergent fiber (ADF) data were negatively correlated with all protein digestibility variables. The differences in the degree of hydrolysis (DH) results and the similarity in total hydrolysis (TH) results could indicate the slowing effects of ADF on protein digestibility. Further in vivo studies are needed.

Quality evaluation of house cricket flour processed by electrohydrodynamic drying and pulsed electric fields treatment

House crickets are expected to play a significant role in the future food sector. Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) drying offers an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional drying methods. Pulsed electric fields (PEF) is a non-thermal process that facilitates conventional processes. EHD was applied to house crickets with and without PEF pretreatment, and the effect of PEF and EHD on the quality of the insects was evaluated. PEF pretreatment positively affected the oven drying at 60 °C by reducing its duration and thus decreasing the energy consumption by 14.22%. Moisture removal of EHD was not sufficient to replace oven drying, but when combined with oven drying, the overall energy consumption was reduced by >50%. PEF processing also increased the protein solubility (53.07% higher than the respective control) and antioxidant activity (24.05% higher than the respective control) of the oven-dried samples and reduced the histamine content of the EHD-dried samples (25.87% lower than the respective control).

Chemical and Nutritional Fat Profile of Acheta domesticus, Gryllus bimaculatus, Tenebrio molitor and Rhynchophorus ferrugineus.

The use of edible insects in the human diet is gaining importance because they are characterized by high nutritional value, and their cultivation is much more environmentally friendly than traditional livestock farming. The objective of this study was to determine the chemical and nutritional fat profile of selected edible insects as follows: house cricket (Acheta domesticus adult), field cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus adult), mealworm (Tenebrio molitor larvae), and palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus larvae) which are now commercially available worldwide. Additionally, the degree of implementation of nutrition standards for selected nutrients by these insects was assessed. Freeze-dried insects were studied using infrared-attenuated total reflectance mid-infrared spectroscopy for basic differentiation. The content of fat and fatty acids was determined, and dietary indicators were calculated. The spectroscopic findings align with biochemical data, revealing that Rhynchophorus ferrugineus larvae contain the highest fat content and the least protein. Unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) predominated in the fat of the assessed insects. The highest content of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), along with the lowest content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), was observed in the larvae of the Rhynchophorus ferrugineus species. From a nutritional standpoint, Tenebrio molitor larvae exhibit the most favorable indicators, characterized by minimal athero- and thrombogenic effects, along with an optimal balance of hypo- and hypercholesterolemic acids. Knowledge of the composition and quantities of fats in different insect species is valuable for planning and preparing meals with accurate nutritional profiles, among other applications.

Perception of Food Safety Associated with Entomophagy among Higher-Education Students: Exploring Insects as a Novel Food Source.

Edible insects can diversify diets, improve livelihoods, contribute to food and nutrition security, and have a smaller ecological impact. The European Union has categorized insects as novel food, and recently, in 2021 and 2022, two species, Tenebrio molitor and Acheta domesticus, were authorized for commercialization. The acceptance and perception of food risk derived from insect consumption vary depending on factors impacting insect consumption acceptability, including neophobic tendencies, gender differences, familiarity, and gastronomic perceptions. The aim of this work was to evaluate the perception and acceptance of edible insects by exploring these factors. This study was carried out on higher-education students from universities in Valencia (Spain). The students recognized insects' high nutritional value, particularly protein content, and had varying levels of knowledge about specific nutritional components. In terms of labeling and marketing, removing health and sustainability benefits from packaging can improve consumer responses. Most respondents prefer clear labeling of insect derivatives, quality certification seals, and complete information about insect content. Students consider marketing and knowledge to be significant influencers of insect consumption. In summary, this text highlights the multifaceted nature of insect consumption acceptability. These insights offer valuable perspectives on insect consumption dynamics.

The Acceptance of Cream Soups with the Addition of Edible Insects (Mealworm, T. molitor; House Cricket, A. domesticus; Buffalo Worm, A. diaperinus; Grasshopper, R. differens) among Young People and Seniors in Poland.

Research on the acceptance of consuming insects in one's diet shows the increasing importance of this issue in the context of a sustainable food chain and ecology. Insects represent a promising food source due to their high nutritional value, efficiency in production, and minimal environmental impact, as well as the growing awareness of ecological issues. Despite these benefits, cultural and psychological barriers hinder the acceptance of consuming insects in Western countries. In this study, an assessment was made of the acceptance level of cream-type soups made from tomatoes and white vegetables with the addition of 20% flour from four insect species: mealworm (T. molitor); house cricket (A. domesticus); buffalo worm (A. diaperinus); and grasshopper (R. differens), compared to a control sample. One hundred and four subjects (55 seniors and 49 young adults) participated in this study. The acceptance level of various soups with insect flour was evaluated, considering different sensory parameters such as appearance, smell, taste, and texture. The research showed that older people have a lower acceptance for dishes containing insects compared to young adults, but the differences in the responses given were not statistically significant (p = 0.05), rejecting the assumption that insect-based products should be mainly targeted at young people. Of all the proposed test samples, the mealworm (T. molitor) was the most acceptable insect species in the tests in both taste versions for both age groups. The average score was 6.63 points on a 10-point scale. The products with the addition of grasshopper (R. differens) were rated the lowest. The acceptance level ranged between 4.23 and 4.38 points. A multiple regression analysis showed that taste and texture had the strongest influence on the overall acceptance of these dishes, and the results obtained were highly correlated with the general opinion of the testers. The increasing acceptance level and growing interest in this type of food can be a positive step towards sustainable and efficient food production.

Effect of full fat and defatted insect meals in breadmaking quality

Fat content and type of lipids in edible insect meals could affect bread quality when used to partially substitute wheat in bread formulations. This study evaluated the effect of Acheta domesticus (AD) and Tenebrio molitor (TM) meals in breadmaking. Full fat (FF), partially-(PD), and complete-defatted (DF) TM and AD meals were used to replace 10% (w/w) of wheat flour in bread formulations, resulting in 6 composite flours (FFAD/PDAD/DFAD/FFTM/PDTM/DFTM) and a 100% wheat control. Dough thermomechanical properties, breadmaking parameters, proximal composition, texture profile analysis, and Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid scores (PDCAAS) were assayed. Defatting insect meals increased water absorption of composite flours by 7 (TM) and 3% (AD) and TM fat increased the mixolab dough stability by 2.4 min. FFTM showed the highest bread volume (843 cm3) and lowest density (0.19 g/cm3) among composite loaves. The protein content of insect-supplemented bread increased up to 34% compared to the control. FFTM bread had the lowest hardness values through storage at room temperature. Defatted AD and TM had higher PDCAAS compared to the control. These findings indicated that TM fat contributes to breadmaking quality and DFAD increased the PDCAAS value, making it a nutritious alternative to partially substitute wheat in bread formulations.

Survival, growth and digestive functions after exposure to nanodiamonds - Transgenerational effects beyond contact time in house cricket strains

The long-term exposure effects of nanodiamonds (NDs), spanning an organism's entire lifespan and continuing for subsequent generation, remain understudied. Most research has focused on evaluating their biological impacts on cell lines and selected organisms, typically over short exposure durations lasting hours or days. The study aimed to assess growth, mortality, and digestive functions in wild (H) and long-lived (D) strains of Acheta domesticus (Insecta: Orthoptera) after two-generational exposure to NDs in concentrations of 0.2 or 2 mg kg−1 of food, followed by their elimination in the third generation. NDs induced subtle stimulating effect that depended on the strain and generation. In the first generation, more such responses occurred in the H than in the D strain. In the first generation of H strain insects, contact with NDs increased survival, stimulated the growth of young larvae, and the activity of most digestive enzymes in mature adults. The same doses and exposure time did not cause similar effects in the D strain. In the first generation of D strain insects, survival and growth were unaffected by NDs, whereas, in the second generation, significant stimulation of those parameters was visible. Selection towards longevity appears to support higher resistance of the insects to exposure to additional stressor, at least in the first generation. The cessation of ND exposure in the third generation caused potentially harmful changes, which included, e.g., decreased survival probability in H strain insects, slowed growth of both strains, as well as changes in heterochromatin density and distribution in nuclei of the gut cells in both strains. Such a reaction may suggest the involvement of epigenetic inheritance mechanisms, which may become inadequate after the stress factor is removed.

Fatty Acid and Amino Acid Profiles of Seven Edible Insects: Focus on Lipid Class Composition and Protein Conversion Factors.

This study is based on the fatty acid and amino acid profiles of seven edible insect species: Acheta domesticus, Alphitobius diaperinus, Blaptica dubia, Galleria mellonella, Locusta migratoria, Tenebrio molitor, and Zophobas morio. The aim of the present study is to provide new data on the fatty acid distributions among lipid classes as well as the species-specific protein conversion factor (Kp) of a wide range of insects in order to further improve the nutritional characterisation of insects as food. Oleic acid was the predominant fatty acid in all insects except for A. domesticus, in which a significantly higher percentage of linoleic acid was found. The majority of the lipids were neutral lipids. A significant amount of α-linolenic acid in the phospholipid fraction of L. migratoria was shown, while in T. molitor, phospholipids were the only fraction in which a measurable amount of docosahexaenoic acid was found. Overall, in most insects, the phospholipid fraction had the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid content compared to the other classes, which may be protective in terms of auto-oxidative stability. Kp values in the range of 4.17 to 6.43 were obtained. Within the nutritional quality indices, all insects showed healthy fatty acids and high-quality amino acid profiles.

Using AI to decode the behavioral responses of an insect to chemical stimuli: towards machine-animal computational technologies

Orthoptera are insects with excellent olfactory sense abilities due to their antennae richly equipped with receptors. This makes them interesting model organisms to be used as biosensors for environmental and agricultural monitoring. Herein, we investigated if the house cricket Acheta domesticus can be used to detect different chemical cues by examining the movements of their antennae and attempting to identify specific antennal displays associated to different chemical cues exposed (e.g., sucrose or ammonia powder). A neural network based on state-of-the-art techniques (i.e., SLEAP) for pose estimation was built to identify the proximal and distal ends of the antennae. The network was optimised via grid search, resulting in a mean Average Precision (mAP) of 83.74%. To classify the stimulus type, another network was employed to take in a series of keypoint sequences, and output the stimulus classification. To find the best one-dimensional convolutional and recurrent neural networks, a genetic algorithm-based optimisation method was used. These networks were validated with iterated K-fold validation, obtaining an average accuracy of 45.33% for the former and 44% for the latter. Notably, we published and introduced the first dataset on cricket recordings that relate this animal’s behaviour to chemical stimuli. Overall, this study proposes a novel and simple automated method that can be extended to other animals for the creation of Biohybrid Intelligent Sensing Systems (e.g., automated video-analysis of an organism’s behaviour) to be exploited in various ecological scenarios.

Structural Differences Between Hot Air-Dried and Freeze-Dried Two-Spotted Cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus), House Cricket (Acheta domesticus), and Silkworm (Bombyx mori) Larvae and Their Effect on Powder Properties After Grinding

Structural Differences Between Hot Air-Dried and Freeze-Dried Two-Spotted Cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus), House Cricket (Acheta domesticus), and Silkworm (Bombyx mori) Larvae and Their Effect on Powder Properties After Grinding

Physicochemical, microbiological and nutritional quality of fermented cricket (Acheta domesticus) paste

House crickets (Acheta domesticus) were processed into a seasoning paste, the so-called fermented cricket paste (FCP), by mimicking the production process of Thai fermented shrimp paste (Kapi). Whole house crickets were ground with solar salt (crickets to salt ratio = 10:1 w/w), sun-dried to ∼50% moisture content and fermented at 30 °C for 4 weeks using Kapi (5% w/w) as a starter culture. Results showed that salting and drying steps might contribute greatly to eradicating undesirable microorganisms by lowering the Aw of cricket from 0.9 to 0.7. The changes in physicochemical properties during FCP preparation could be attributed to the activity of lactic acid bacteria, which were predominant microorganisms in the FCP (5.66 log CFU/g DW). Overall, the FCP had similar characteristics to commercial Kapi products and should be well-preserved without refrigeration. Despite the lower overall nutritive value, the FCP possessed an improved amino acid profile and protein digestibility compared with the raw material (93.80% vs 81.91%), indicating that the FCP preparation process dealing with fermentation could enhance the protein quality of house crickets. The FCP could be used as a protein-rich seasoning and an alternative for fermented shrimp paste, thus helping to promote the consumption of insect-based foods.

Soil amendment with insect frass and exuviae affects rhizosphere bacterial community, shoot growth and carbon/nitrogen ratio of a brassicaceous plant

AimsIn terrestrial ecosystems, deposition of insect frass and cadavers in the soil influences soil characteristics, including microbial community composition, with consequences for plant growth and development. Insect frass and exuviae are also a major residual stream from insect production for food and feed, that may be used as soil amendment. However, only few studies have thoroughly examined the effect of soil amendment with insect frass and exuviae on rhizosphere microbial communities and plant growth.MethodsWe studied the effects of soil amendment with frass and/or exuviae originating from three insect species, Tenebrio molitor, Acheta domesticus, and Hermetia illucens, at three different concentrations, compared to synthetic fertiliser. At several time points we analysed the rhizosphere bacterial community and assessed multiple plant-growth parameters of a brassicaceous plant.ResultsSoil amendment with frass and/or exuviae improved plant growth at least as well as synthetic fertiliser, A. domesticus exuviae having the strongest impact. The origin (insect species), type (frass or exuviae) and concentration of soil amendment influenced the effects on plant traits. The rhizosphere bacterial community differed between amended and unamended soil. Bacterial genera that contain plant growth-promoting species were more abundant in the rhizosphere of plants grown in amended soil.ConclusionsAddition of insect frass and/or exuviae to the soil differentially affects the bacterial rhizosphere community and promotes plant growth in these soils, underlining their unique roles in the aboveground-belowground feedback loop, and their potential use as soil amendment in circular agriculture.

Identification of common cricket (Acheta domesticus) proteins, extracted by acid and alkaline methods.

Edible insects currently represent an interesting alternative protein source to the animal ones. The objective of the present wok is to characterize proteins isolated from common cricket (Acheta domesticus). Powder samples of this insect-based flour were obtained using two extraction methods, i.e. acid and alkaline. Subsequently, the proteins isolated have been characterized. The fractionation of proteins in the flour of Acheta domesticus by acid or alkaline-based methods, gave rise to isolates with up to 71.6% in protein content. Extraction in an alkaline medium of insoluble proteins (pellet) resulted in the best performance on protein recovery. These isolates present a wide variety of peptides and proteins, having identified the following ones in the pellet fraction obtained with the acid method: myosin heavy-chain isoforms C, E and Miosin heavy chain (Mhc); tropomyosin; troponin; α and β actin, and some enzymes such as the β subunit ATP synthetase. The characterization results provide information which will enable us to predict the possible physicochemical (gel formation, solubility, water retention capacity, etc.) changes that could take place in the cricket protein during processing in the food and feed industry.

Food waste supply and behaviour towards its alternative uses in Kampala city, Uganda

Solid waste management is a major challenge in sub-Saharan Africa in general and its food waste component is high and increasing with the rapidly increasing population. Survey data (class p1) collected from households, hotels, restaurants, schools and produce markets were analysed using descriptive and logistic regression analyses for insights into the types and amounts of food waste, and respondents’ attitudes and practices towards its collection, disposal and alternative uses. Households produce the highest amounts of food waste compared to institutions (hotels, schools and restaurants) and produce markets. In a week, about 96, 72, and 93% of all the respondents in households, institutions and produce markets respectively experienced food waste at least one to three times. On average, with a solid waste collection coverage of 45%, households, institutions and markets in Kampala can respectively supply 680, 80, and 8 t of food waste daily. Moulding, poor food storage, food leftovers, food expiry and excess food produce were the major reasons for condemning food to waste. Over 90% of the respondents recognized food waste as a problem, and as a resource especially for use in livestock feed production, and were willing to consume house crickets raised on feed from food waste. Lower levels of education (none, primary and secondary levels), unemployment, and being divorced at household level were positively associated with recognizing food waste as a resource [X2 (21, N = 209) = 137.77, p = < 0.0001] and re-use for alternative purposes [X2 (21, N = 209) = 47.44, p = 0.001] by households and institutions [X2 (14, N = 92) = 30.97, p = < 0.019]. Majority of the respondents were willing to donate food waste, especially married people and institutions that have been in existence for a period of 5–10 years.