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![| Gryllus similis male. Source: Anankware et al. [(101), p. 36].](profile/Henlay-Magara/publication/347522792/figure/fig3/AS:979150487687175@1610459076385/Gryllus-similis-male-Source-Anankware-et-al-101-p-36.png)
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![FIGURE 3 | Gryllus similis male. Source: Anankware et al. [(101), p. 36].](profile/Henlay-Magara/publication/347522792/figure/fig3/AS:979150487687175@1610459076385/Gryllus-similis-male-Source-Anankware-et-al-101-p-36_Q320.jpg)
![FIGURE 4 | Gryllus bimaculatus. Source: Orinda [(29), p. 15].](profile/Henlay-Magara/publication/347522792/figure/fig4/AS:979150487687181@1610459076433/Gryllus-bimaculatus-Source-Orinda-29-p-15_Q320.jpg)
Edible crickets are among the praised insects that are gaining recognition as human food and livestock feed with a potential of contributing to food security and reduction of malnutrition. Globally, the sustainable use of crickets as food or feed is undermined by lack of information on the number of the edible crickets, the country where they are c...
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Context 1
... the nymph and adult stages of crickets are consumed as food (27,31). The most common species usually reported include Brachytrupes membranaceus (Figure 2), Gryllus similis (Figure 3), Gryllus bimaculatus (Figure 4), Gryllotalpa orientalis ( Figure 5) and Acheta domesticus (Figure 6) (29,(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)). However, this may not be representative of the exhaustive number of crickets that are edible globally. ...
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![FIGURE 3 | Gryllus similis male. Source: Anankware et al. [(101), p. 36].](profile/Henlay-Magara/publication/348415445/figure/fig3/AS:979148226965504@1610458537367/Gryllus-similis-male-Source-Anankware-et-al-101-p-36_Q320.jpg)
![FIGURE 4 | Gryllus bimaculatus. Source: Orinda [(29), p. 15].](profile/Henlay-Magara/publication/348415445/figure/fig4/AS:979148226969607@1610458537410/Gryllus-bimaculatus-Source-Orinda-29-p-15_Q320.jpg)
Edible crickets are among the praised insects that are gaining recognition as human food and livestock feed with a potential of contributing to food security and reduction of malnutrition. Globally, the sustainable use of crickets as food or feed is undermined by lack of information on the number of the edible crickets, the country where they are c...
![FIGURE 3 | Gryllus similis male. Source: Anankware et al. [(101), p. 36].](profile/Henlay-Magara/publication/348415745/figure/fig3/AS:979151360126978@1610459284875/Gryllus-similis-male-Source-Anankware-et-al-101-p-36_Q320.jpg)
![FIGURE 4 | Gryllus bimaculatus. Source: Orinda [(29), p. 15].](profile/Henlay-Magara/publication/348415745/figure/fig4/AS:979151360118795@1610459284923/Gryllus-bimaculatus-Source-Orinda-29-p-15_Q320.jpg)
Edible crickets are among the praised insects that are gaining recognition as human food and livestock feed with a potential of contributing to food security and reduction of malnutrition. Globally, the sustainable use of crickets as food or feed is undermined by lack of information on the number of the edible crickets, the country where they are c...
![FIGURE 3 | Gryllus similis male. Source: Anankware et al. [(101), p. 36].](profile/Henlay-Magara/publication/348414781/figure/fig3/AS:979138622017538@1610456247433/Gryllus-similis-male-Source-Anankware-et-al-101-p-36_Q320.jpg)
![FIGURE 4 | Gryllus bimaculatus. Source: Orinda [(29), p. 15].](profile/Henlay-Magara/publication/348414781/figure/fig4/AS:979138622017539@1610456247476/Gryllus-bimaculatus-Source-Orinda-29-p-15_Q320.jpg)
Edible crickets are among the praised insects that are gaining recognition as human
food and livestock feed with a potential of contributing to food security and reduction
of malnutrition. Globally, the sustainable use of crickets as food or feed is undermined
by lack of information on the number of the edible crickets, the country where they
are c...
Citations
... species for large-scale farming operations (Kong et al. 2024;Magara et al. 2021). ...
... There are over 6000 species of crickets in the infraorder Gryllidea, over 60 of which are known to be consumed and, in some cases, farmed by humans (Cigliano et al. 2018;Magara et al. 2021). Generating a high-quality chromosome-scale assembly of one of the most globally widespread and commonly farmed species, Gryllodes sigillatus, is a key step in promoting the adoption of genome-informed farming improvements for insects. ...
... The widespread farming of G. sigillatus is likely driven by its worldwide, cosmopolitan distribution and ease of collection (Weissman et al. 2012). However, there are many cricket species with farming potential, and the resources developed here will facilitate their study and use more broadly (Dossey et al. 2023;Magara et al. 2019Magara et al. , 2021. Recently, genomic resources, such as genome assemblies and transcriptome sequences, have increasingly been deployed to improve strategies for farming crickets (Kataoka et al. 2022;Nakamura et al. 2022). ...
Farmed insects have gained attention as an alternative, sustainable source of protein with a lower carbon footprint than traditional livestock. We present a high‐quality reference genome for one of the most commonly farmed insects, the banded cricket Gryllodes sigillatus. In addition to its agricultural importance, G. sigillatus is also a model in behavioural and evolutionary ecology research on reproduction and mating systems. We report comparative genomic analyses that clarify the banded cricket's evolutionary history, identify gene family expansions and contractions unique to this lineage, associate these with agriculturally important traits, and identify targets for genome‐assisted breeding efforts. The high‐quality G. sigillatus genome assembly plus accompanying comparative genomic analyses serve as foundational resources for both applied and basic research on insect farming and behavioural biology, enabling researchers to pinpoint trait‐associated genetic variants, unravel functional pathways governing those phenotypes, and accelerate selective breeding efforts to increase the efficacy of large‐scale insect farming operations.
... An elevated ash content corresponds to a more significant presence of mineral elements beneficial for human health. Crickets exhibit a higher ash content than goat, broiler, and pork meat [22]. A high level of ash content in insect powders indicate that they are a good source of minerals. ...
... However, sample SP has the lowest observed carbohydrate content among the insect species studied. A previous study reported that the carbohydrate levels in edible crickets ranged from 2.5 to 47.2 g/100 g (d.b.), attributed to the diets of the insects [22]. Carbohydrates are an energy source in the diet that contributes to the overall caloric intake [24]. ...
... For instance, it was reported by Tanga et al. (2021) that cricket farming has rapidly expanded in Uganda (140 cricket farmers). In addition to a high protein content (60 -71 % on dry matter basis, or DM), edible portions of either nymph or adult house crickets are reportedly rich sources of micronutrients such as vitamin B 12 (10 -20 µg/100 g DM), iron (8.8 mg/100 g DM), zinc (19.6 -20.2 mg/100 g DM) and calcium (171 -150 mg/100 g DM) (Bbosa et al., 2019, Bbosa et al., unpublished;Khatun et al., 2021;Magara et al., 2021;Udomsil et al., 2019). As a result, house crickets are put forward as an attractive option during food product development for enriching other food ingredients. ...
... This is similar to other cricket enriched products such as cookies (Tedjakusuma et al., 2022), extruded maize/millet porridge and extruded snacks (Ribeiro et al., 2021). The improved flour protein content relative to the control without crickets is attributable to house crickets which are known to be high in protein (60 -71 g/100 g dry weight) (Bbosa et al., 2019;Magara et al., 2021;Udomsil et al., 2019). There is only a slight increase (0.14 %) in ash content with addition of house crickets. ...
... The vitamin B 12 content of the flour containing undried house crickets was 58.3 % higher than of the control (batch 2, 140 • C) and the difference was statistically significant. Since vitamin B 12 is naturally found in animal source foods, the most probable source of the vitamin in the studied flours is house crickets which reportedly contains 10 -20 µg/ 100 g (dry basis) of vitamin B 12 (Khatun et al., 2021;Magara et al., 2021). Furthermore, 100 g of all the studied flours containing crickets could meet up to 43 -58 %, 46 -63 % and over 300 % of the RDA of vitamin B 12 for lactating women (2.8 µg/day), pregnant women (2.6 µg/day) and infants, 0 -6 months (0.4 µg/day) (WHO & FAO, 2004). ...
... Crickets are members of the Orthoptera order and are recognized as one of the most common types of edible insects consumed as food worldwide [13]. An increasing number of cricket farms for food and feed has been established as a result of the low environmental impact, sustainability, nutritional source, and nutraceutical properties of crickets [14,15]. ...
... Microorganisms 2025,13, 391 ...
To support the role of insects as sustainable feed and food ingredients, evaluating their potential microbiological risk and safety is crucial. In this study, we investigated the presence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes in selected live opportunistic pathogenic bacteria isolated during the rearing process from clinically healthy farm-reared crickets. Molecular analysis was performed by wholegenome sequencing of a total of 14 of these bacterial strains, 7 from house crickets (Acheta domesticus) and 7 from banded crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus), belonging to Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcaceae, Enterococcaceae, and Bacillaceae families. The β-lactam AMR genes (blaOXY2-6, blaACT-16, and blaSHV variants) were the most predominant genes identified, mainly in Enterobacteriaceae strains and in association with fosfomycin (fosA) and oqxAB efflux pump complexes. In addition, blaZ and mecA genes were detected in Bacillus cereus and Mammaliicoccus sciuri strains isolated from both insect species. Genetic mobile elements including IncFIA, IncFIB, IncHI1A, IncHI1B, rep13, and Col3M-like plasmids were detected in Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter hormaechei, Staphylococcus arlettae, and B. cereus, respectively. The results indicate that, not only in the final product but also during the insect-rearing process, microbial safety control, regarding the presence of pathogenic bacteria and AMR genes, is essential for effectively decreasing the microbiological risk between cricket batches within their environment and in terms of the related feed and food chain.
... The nutritional value of several edible cricket species has been the subject of numerous kinds of research. According to Magara et al. (2021), G. bimaculatus has a protein and lipid content of 57-70 and 15-33 g/100 g dry weight, respectively, and the lipids contain >60 % unsaturated fatty acids (Gan et al., 2022). ...
... g/100 g fat in DM, 7.00-8.00 g/100 g fibre in DM, and approximately 4 g/100 g ash in DM (Magara et al., 2020). ...
Despite extensive research on the nutritional value of edible insects, there is insufficient data on how processing methods affect their chemical composition. In this study, our objective was to assess the effects of boiling, roasting, oven drying, and microwave heating on the nutritional value of insects euthanized via blanching or freezing. Results indicated that both the methods of killing and culinary treatment significantly influenced the nutritional value of yellow mealworms ( Tenebrio molitor ) and Jamaican field crickets ( Gryllus assimilis ). Blanched and boiled yellow mealworm larvae contained the lowest level of protein (54.76 g/100 g dry matter (DM)), and the highest content of fat (35.28 g/100 g DM), while blanched, oven-dried Jamaican field crickets yielded the highest levels of protein (72.95 g/100 g DM) and the lowest levels of fat (13.31 g/100 g DM). Culinary treatments uniformly resulted in increased proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and a decrease in the percentage of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) compared to the raw samples. In contrast to fats, the amino acid composition and protein quality, assessed via the essential amino acid index, remained almost unchanged regardless of the type of culinary treatment. Similarly, the profile of volatile compounds was not significantly affected by the culinary treatment. Although acrylamide was undetectable in raw samples, safe levels (0.02-0.13 μg/g DM) were observed in treated samples. Given the rarity of raw insect consumption, gaining insights into the nutritional content of prepared insect-based dishes is of paramount importance. Thus, forthcoming research that is focused on potential risk compounds linked to thermal processing, as well as strategies aimed at mitigating their presence in insect-based foods, may hold significant relevance.
... One insect group highly recommended for human consumption is cricket (both Gryllidae and other families of crickets). Globally, over 60 species of crickets are reported to be consumed as food by humans [9]. Of this number, 26 species are eaten in SSA, 41 species in Asia, five species in the Americas and four species each in Europe and Australia [9][10][11]. ...
... Globally, over 60 species of crickets are reported to be consumed as food by humans [9]. Of this number, 26 species are eaten in SSA, 41 species in Asia, five species in the Americas and four species each in Europe and Australia [9][10][11]. Both the nymph and adult stages of crickets are consumed as food [12]. ...
Gryllus madagascarensis (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) is a cricket species that shows promise to mitigate food insecurity and malnutrition. But whether this species will accept low- to no-cost weeds and agro by-products as feed, and how these feeds affect its performance, remains unknown. This study assessed the acceptability of 66 weed species and agro by-products (derived from a single plant species) by adult G. madagascarensis and compared the results to a reference feed (chicken feed). We further examined how the 11 top acceptable single plant products affected growth parameters of G. madagascarensis. The parameters assessed included development, survivorship, body mass and body length and reproductive fitness of the crickets on each of these diets. Finally, the costs of the 11 top accepted single plant products were compared. Our results demonstrated that the cricket accepted all 66 single plant products at varying degrees. Tropical white morning glory (Ipomoea alba), cassava tops (Manhot esculentum), taro leaves (Colocasia esculenta), cowpea bran (Vigna unguiculata), American hog-peanut (Afroamphica africana), gallant soldier (Galinsoga parviflora), wheat bran (Triticum aestivum), glycine (Neonotonia wightii), silver leaf Desmodium (Desmodium uncinatum), maize bran (Zea mays) and rice bran (Oryza sativa) were the most accepted. The analysed nutrient content varied across the top 11 accepted single plant products and the reference feed. The shortest development and highest survival rate were recorded with gallant soldier and cowpea bran powders. Wet body mass and body length were highly impacted by various single plant products tested compared to the reference feed. Reproductive parameters were significantly briefer on tropical white morning glory compared to other feeds and the reference diet. Single plant products cost two- to four-fold less than reference feed. The findings are valuable for developing blended diets that balance performance, cost and availability for household and commercial production of crickets as a “green” technology for producing edible sources of protein.
... From these chitosan extraction results, it can be concluded that deproteinization with NaOH is very efficient as crickets contain approximately 63.3-71.09% protein on dry base (including fat) [27,28]. Moreover, demineralization with HCl can effectively remove inorganic material from defatted powder, approximately 1.12-2.41% of dry bases, because insects have lower levels (less than 10%) of inorganic material compared to crustaceans [29]. ...
Background/Objectives: Crickets are recognized as an alternative source of chitosan. This study aimed to assess the potential of cricket-derived chitosan as a natural source to develop chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs). Methods: Chitosan were isolated from different cricket species, including Gryllus bimaculatus, Teleogryllus mitratus, and Acheta domesticus. The isolated chitosan were characterized by their functional groups, crystallographic and thermal properties, molecular structure, morphology, water solubility, molecular weight, binding capacity, irritation potential, and cytotoxicity in comparison to commercial shrimp-based chitosan. CNPs were developed through an ionotropic gelation method, followed by the evaluation of particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential. Results: The findings of this study indicate that chitosan can be successfully isolated from the three cricket species, with yields ranging from 4.35% to 5.22% w/w of the dried material. The characteristics of cricket-based chitosan were similar to those of commercial chitosan, except that the cricket-based chitosan displayed a higher crystallinity and a lower molecular weight. Additionally, CPNs were successfully produced from cricket-based chitosan using sodium citrate as a crosslinking agent. All cricket-based chitosan exhibited no irritation or cytotoxicity. Chitosan derived from A. domesticus however was found to be the most suitable to develop CPNs, as it produced the smallest particle size (522.0 ± 12.1 nm) with a comparatively narrow PDI (0.388 ± 0.026) and an acceptable positive zeta potential (34.2 ± 4.4 mV). Conclusions: Cricket-derived chitosan compares favorably with crustacean-derived chitosan and showed potential for a range of applications, including the use as a nanocosmeceutical delivery system in topical and cosmetic formulations.
... Insects are generally high in protein, vitamins, and minerals (Finke, 2002;Rumpold and Schlüter, 2013;Payne et al., 2016;Weru et al., 2021), and their production requires considerably less resources than other protein sources such as beef or chicken (Wegier et al., 2018;Berggren et al., 2019). Crickets are one of the most common insects raised for food and feed (Magara et al., 2021), and are used principally by the petfood and aquafeed markets (de Jong and Nikolik, 2021; van Huis, 2022). Increasing yield is a primary goal of agricultural research, and upscaling insect production to achieve higher yields is one way to meet world demand for protein (Veldkamp et al., 2022). ...
Insects, a sustainable and nutritious alternative protein source, are one potential solution to mitigating food insecurity. North America and Europe are currently experiencing the rapid development of the insects as food and feed industry, with some companies focused on farming crickets for human food and agricultural feed. Increasing yield is a primary goal of agricultural research. Yield is a measurement of product harvested per unit area, and cricket farms struggle with how best to do this at a scale of billions of crickets required for a farming environment without the costs of additional labour. I argue that yield can be thought of as a function of survival and body size at and development time to adulthood. In this thesis, I have used a multi-faceted approach to explore how diet can manipulate growth, development time to adulthood, and survival of Gryllodes sigillatus. My findings revealed that a 15% dietary supplementation with royal jelly elicited a sex-specific increase in mass; females fed the royal jelly diet were 30% heavier, and this effect was driven by significantly longer abdomens containing 67% more eggs compared to those fed the basal diet. I also demonstrate that manipulation of protein and carbohydrate availability can optimize growth and development of G. sigillatus; yield was maximized on a 3P:1C diet, as crickets fed this diet were most likely to develop into adults and grew maximum mass and body size. Similarly, I show that the physical attributes of diet can also exert strong influences on life history; crickets fed a large particle size diet grew larger and heavier faster compared to crickets fed a small particle size diet, and crickets also demonstrated a preference for medium and large size diet throughout development. Finally, I present the first recorded results detailing the pest-beneficial interactions between dermestids and farmed crickets; crickets experienced delayed growth early in life after living with dermestids, but crickets can tolerate living with, and consuming, dermestid larvae. Overall, my findings suggest that dietary supplementation, macronutrient ratio, diet particle size, and pest interactions all contribute to variation in cricket life history traits important to production yield.
... Mole crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllotapidae) are prized as human food, animal feed (Magara et al. 2021), and as a source of traditional medicine in several countries (Devi et al. 2023). As an animal feed, for example, some ethnic Chinese gather and sell them food for caged birds (Dai and Ding 2022). ...
Mole crickets of the genus Gryllotalpa Latreille, 1802 are widely distributed across the Oriental region, including Thailand. While the species G. orientalis Burmeister, 1838 was thought to be the most common although there was limited genetic information existed for Thai specimens. This study collected 271 mol crickets from 14 localities in Roi Et province, Thailand. The sequence variation in the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (CO1) and 16S ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA) were examined. High genetic diversity was observed with 37 CO1 and 15 16S rDNA haplotypes. Haplotype networks and phylogenetic trees classified the mole cricket into six genetic groups (I – VI). The most common genetic group detected throughout the studied areas was group I. While, groups III and IV were specifically found in Kaset Wisai and At Samat districts, respectively. The CO1 sequences of G. orientalis from other countries deposited in the GenBank database were clustered as a distinct genetic group. Phylogenetic trees revealed six genetic groups which were classified into three species groups (Sp. 1 – Sp. 3). There were slight differences in male genitalia and tegmen venation between Sp. 1 and Sp. 3. Our findings suggest that in Roi Et Province, the genus Gryllotalpa contained cryptic species, with at least three species involved. The need was identified for a comprehensive investigation of their biology, ecology, and genetic diversity throughout Thailand.
