The WinePress reported last month that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) passed new regulations that officially approve mealworms safe for consumption, with corporations ready to capitalize on the move.
Some U.K. schools earlier this year were feeding students mealworm lunches: “Some U.K. Schools Will Now Feed Students Locusts And Worms To Turn Kids Away From Eating Meat.”
According to a press release from the American Chemical Society (ACS), Korean researchers presented a new seasoning made from these worms, made to taste “meat-like:”
Beetle larvae, such as mealworms, are often considered to be creepy, crawly nuisances. But these insects are edible and could be a healthful alternative to traditional meat protein sources. Today, researchers report that they’ve cooked up mealworms with sugar, creating a “meat-like” flavoring. It could someday be used in convenience foods as a tasty source of extra protein.
The researchers will present their results today at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Fall 2022 is a hybrid meeting being held virtually and in-person Aug. 21–25, with on-demand access available Aug. 26–Sept. 9. The meeting features nearly 11,000 presentations on a wide range of science topics.
Recently, eating insects has become of interest because of the increasing cost of animal protein, as well as the associated environmental issues.
Says In Hee Cho, Ph.D., the project’s principal investigator
The global population is expected to reach 9.7 billion people by 2050 and nearly 11 billion by 2100, according to the United Nations. And feeding them all with animal meat — especially cows, pigs and sheep — will require larger amounts of food, water and land resources. In addition, cows are a substantial contributor to climate change, releasing copious amounts of methane in their burps. So, more sustainable sources of protein are needed.
Insects are a nutritious and healthy food source with high amounts of fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, fiber and high-quality protein, which is like that of meat.
Says Cho, whose team is at Wonkwang University.
But mealworms suffer from an image problem, she says.
In many parts of the world, eating insects isn’t common, and people can be squeamish about munching on them. Although some companies are trying to change people’s minds by selling cooked whole mealworms as crunchy, salty snacks, consumer acceptance is not widespread. Cho says that to get more people to regularly eat mealworms, a sneakier approach might be in order — hiding insects in the form of seasonings inside easy-to-cook and other convenience products.
The research team’s first step was to understand this insect’s flavor profile. They compared mealworm aromas throughout its lifecycle, from egg to larva to pupa to adult. While there were some differences in the individual compounds, all of the stages primarily contained volatile hydrocarbons, which evaporate and give off scents. For example, raw larvae had wet soil-like, shrimp-like and sweet corn-like aromas.
Then Hojun Seo, a graduate student on Cho’s team, compared the flavors that developed as larvae were cooked with different methods. Steamed mealworms developed even stronger sweet corn-like aromas, whereas roasted and deep-fried versions had shrimp-like and fried oil-like attributes. According to Seo, the flavor compounds from roasting and frying included pyrazines, alcohols and aldehydes, and were similar to the compounds formed when meat and seafood are cooked.
Based on these results, the team expected that additional reaction flavors could be produced from the protein-rich mealworms if they were heated with sugar. Reaction flavors, sometimes called process flavors, are produced when proteins and sugars are heated together and interact, for instance, through Maillard, Strecker and caramelization reactions and fatty acid oxidation, says Cho. The result is usually a suite of “meat-like” and savory flavors.
Hyeyoung Park, a graduate student in Cho’s lab and the presenter at the meeting, tested different manufacturing conditions and ratios of powdered mealworm and sugars, producing multiple versions of reaction flavors. She identified a total of 98 volatile compounds in the samples. The team then took the samples to a panel of volunteers to provide feedback about which had the most favorable “meat-like” odor.
As a result of this study, 10 of the reaction flavors were optimized based on consumer preferences.
Says Park.
To the best of the researchers’ knowledge, this is the first time that mealworms have been used to produce desirable reaction flavors. They hope that these results will contribute to the commercial development of meat-like and savory flavorings and seasonings, and will encourage the convenience food industry to include edible insects in their products, says Cho. The team’s next step is to further optimize cooking processes to reduce any potentially undesirable or off-flavors in the final flavoring material made from mealworms.
The researchers acknowledge support from the Rural Development Administration (South Korea) and Wonkwang University (South Korea).
University In Asia Now Offering A Class About Lab-Grown Meats And Plant Alternatives
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?
Job 25:6
Well, you are what you eat I suppose.
[1] Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; [2] Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; [3] Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. [4] For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: [5] For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.1 Timothy 4:1-5
On a more serious note, as I have said before, if you want to eat wormies, you go right ahead, but don’t make me. Nevertheless, we see once again the continued push for the masses to get off of eating meats, and eat ze bugs and the plant-based slop, and cannibal burgers.
The New York Times Says That Cannibalism Will Soon Become Normalized And Accepted
New Study Reveals That Plant-Based Meats Are Way Less Nutritious And Have A Hard Time Being Digested
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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Two words: No Thanks!
Why would you erase my questions and not address them to clear up any doubt?
I am not here to do any harm, just simply asking why my uniform has the same colors as your site and flag.
I don’t see the harm in asking about similarities.
I have seen in comments past many have made that same connection. To avoid the questions leads to many speculations when you don’t answer.
The catholic high school uniform was grey pants white shirt black shoes and the tie was strip red and grey and yes it was mandatory everyday oh and the cardigan/ sweater was black with white initials of the school name …
So that’s why I ask about you site and your flag being the same as the catholic Jesuit colors.
Just a question …. that’s all.