BUGS, BUGS, BUGS

WHICH ARE GOOD? WHICH ARE BAD?

Kavita Walia

(kwalia@uoguelph.ca)

May 2, 2018

Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety, Department of Food Science, University of GuelphPresented at: 25th Annual Educational Workshop, Food Forum for Industry and Government in

Southwestern Ontario (FFIGS), Ingersoll, Ontario

1

OUTLINE

Background

Research Gaps

Food Safety Hazards

Regulations – Canada, USA, EU

Recommendations

Current & Future Work

2

BACKGROUND

3

WHAT IS ENTOMOPHAGY?

The eating of insects

>2000 edible insects

Eaten by ~2 billion people

worldwide

Traditional practice in many nations:

Africa, Latin America, Asia and the

Pacific

Western countries beginning

to show an interesthttps://iowacricketfarmer.com/?page_id=6401

4

TYPES OF EDIBLE INSECTS

Beetles Grasshoppers,

Locusts

Crickets Bugs and

Flies

Bees, Ants,

Termites

Moths Worms and

Caterpillars

Spiders

Jewel beetle Long-headed

grasshopperGiant

cricket

Edible stink

bug

Honey bee Pepper tree

mothWild silkworm Bird eater

spider

Ground

beetle

Sundanese

tree locust

Spotted

cricket

Melon Bug Stingless bee Msasa moth African silkworm

Long-horned

beetle

Australian

plague locust

African mole

cricket

Water

scorpions

Hornet Jameson’s

cream spot

African army worm

Stag beetle Coffee locust Mormon

bush cricket

Sudan

millet bug

Southern yellow

jacket

Dark Chopper Lesser army worm

Cockroach Red locust Sand cricket Mayfly African thief ant Slug moth Common bagworm

Western ash

borer

Brown locust Non-biting

midges

Driver ants Emperor moth Red tequila worm

Yam beetle Madagascar

locustDragonfly Weaver ants Hawk moth Processionary

caterpillar

Dung beetle Edible

grasshopper

Black fly Honey ant Silk moth Mopane worm –

larvae of emperor

moth

Weevile Rocky

mountain

grasshopper

Cicada Dry wood

termite

Water Beetle Fruit fly Harvester

termites

5

AMAZON.com (TREND?)

- How are these products regulated?

- Avenue for future illness?

6

ENTOMO FARMS (ONTARIO)

History of farming insects for reptiles

North America’s first human-grade insect

farm (2014)

One of the worlds largest insect protein

providers

- How is this farming practice regulated in

in Ontario?

- Adverse effects?

7

COOKIE MARTINEZ (TORONTO)

Toronto restaurant specializing in Colombian Street Food

Serves an insect menu:

Cricket empanadas

Cricket kebabs

Cricket brittle

Spicy insect spoon with silk worms

Agar agar and cricket garnish

- How is this regulated?

- Adverse effects?

8

ONE HOP KITCHEN

9

http://onehopkitchen.com

DOCUMENTARY

10

http://thegatewaybug.com

PODCASTS

11

https://entonation.com

HOME REARING ON THE TABLETOP

THE HIVE TM

12

https://www.livinfarms.com

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

13

https://www.entsoc.org/event-calendar/2nd-international-insects-feed-world-conference

SUSTAINABILITY

14

ECO-FRIENDLY

Help reduce environmental contamination

Play a role in waste biodegradation

Require less watering and less land for harvesting

E.g., crickets require 12 times less feed and13 times less water than cattle

Emit low levels of ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions

E.g., pigs produce 10-100 times more emissions per kg than mealworms

Efficient at converting feed into protein

https://www.westernexterminator.com/bug-control/edible-insects/

15

GROWING POPULATION

Edible insects have the potential to meet the growing

demand for protein while contributing to food and

nutrition security

“…all over the world money worth billions are spent every year to save crops that contain no more than 14% of plant

protein by killing another food source (insects) that may

contain up to 75% of high-quality animal protein.”

- Premalatha et al. (2011)

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INSECTS vs. TRADITIONAL PROTEIN

https://www.westernexterminator.com/bug-control/edible-insects/

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NUTRITION

ENERGY VALUE

293 to 762 kcal/100 g dry

matter

PROTEIN

13 to 77% of dry matter

ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS

46-96%

FAT CONTENT

10–60% of dry matter

TOTAL POLYUNSATURATED

FATTY ACIDS

up to 70% of total fatty acids

CARBOHYDRATES (CHITIN)

2.7 mg and 49.8 mg/kg of fresh

matter

Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Na, Mn, P and Zn,

B group vitamins and vitamins A, C,

D, E, K

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VARIABILITY IN TASTE AND FLAVOUR

A sweet, almost nutty and wholemeal bread flavour

Tastes like:

Fatty brisket with skin

Fish, caviar, herring

Mushrooms

Apples

Pine seeds/nuts

Raw corn

Fried potatoes

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RESEARCH GAPS

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CURRENTLY

Current research focus:

Nutritional aspects

Sustainability of production

Economics

Types of insects consumed by various ethnic groups

However…Food safety aspects of edible insects are LIMITED

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FOOD SAFETY HAZARDS

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THE PERFECT STORM

Insects that feed on edible plants can be considered safe to

consume

However…

Edible insects can harbour:

Pathogenic Microorganisms

Chemicals including pesticides, heavy metals and alkalis

Mycotoxins

Natural Toxins

Allergens

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BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS - MICROBIAL

Eating insects raw can result in potential illness from:

Enterobacteriaceae and spore-forming bacteria, as these

type of microorganisms are commonly found in soil

Current literature suggests:

Acinetobacter

Bacillus cereus

Campylobacter

Escherichia coli

Micrococcus

Proteus

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Staphylococcus

Dependent on species,

microbiota, rearing

conditions, handling,

processing and

preservation

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BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS – MICROBIAL cont.

The Scientific Committee of the Belgian Federal Agency

for the Safety of the Food Chain (2014):

Total aerobic bacterial counts ~104 to 107 CFU/g

Total anaerobic bacterial counts ~107 CFU/g

Enterobacteriaceae in mealworms, locusts and morio worms

~107 to 109 CFU/g

Enterobacteriaceae in raw silk worms ~10 CFU/g

25

http://worldmicrobio.blogspot.ca/p/tpc.html

BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS - PARASITES

Flukes (various spp.)

Nematodes

Trypanosoma (causes Chagas)

Protozoa

For control:

Harvesting insects from a closed environment (i.e., a

controlled farm) to limit parasitic hosts

Proper cooking and freezing to further decrease risks

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CHEMICAL HAZARDS

Highly dependent on:

Insect species

Habitat

Natural environment

Farming conditions

Feed

Insects with a shorter life cycle will bioaccumlate less chemicals than those that have a longer life cycle

Examples:

Some insects (wax moths, migratory locusts, mealworm beetle, buffalo worm) contain low levels of common chemical hazards: Flame retardants, PCBs, DDT, Dioxin, Pesticides, Metals such as As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sn, Zn. Levels are the same as those found in meat and fish products

27

CHEMICAL HAZARDS - EXAMPLES

Case reports of high elevated blood lead levels in California children and pregnant

women after consuming dried grasshoppers (i.e., chapulines) imported from Mexico

Metabolic steroids found in beetles potentially caused growth retardation, hypofertility,

masculinization in females, edema, jaundice and liver cancer

Longhorn beetles known to contain toluene – affects nervous system causing

headaches, dizziness or unconsciousness, also affects liver and kidneys

Flour beetles contain benzoquinones, but their carcinogenicity is not known…

Some insects can contain natural toxic substances such as cyanogenic glycosides

leading to high levels of hydrogen cyanide

Certain insects have anti-nutritional substances where after consumption deficiency of

key vitamins occur (e.g., thiamine deficiency after consuming Anaphe venata

caterpillar)

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FOOD ALLERGENS

Adverse effect from a specific immune response that occurs after

exposure to a given food

For the majority of those eating edible insects the risk to allergic

reactions will be low

However, for those with allergic reactions to crustaceans and house

dust mites the risk is high

Examples:

Yellow mealworm can result in co-sensitization between allergens (arginine

kinase and tropomyosin) and those from crustaceans and house dust mites

Some insects have high levels of chitin so individuals who are allergic to

shrimp may also be allergic to these edible insects

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FOOD ALLERGENS – CASE REPORTS

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SILKWORM PUPA - ANAPHYLAXIS

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Silkworm pupae are nutrient rich, ~ 50% protein and abundant

amino acids

Traditional Chinese food and used in medicine

Served: fried in oil, boiled in water, or ground in powder form

① Jie et al. 2008:

13 people suffered anaphylactic reactions to silkworm pupae

Allergen is ~30 kDa protein (not specified)

② Gautreau et al. 2016:

Reported 2 cases of anaphylactic shock in one family

ALLERGEN LABELLING?

If foods contain edible insects should those foods have

an allergen label on the packaging stating “Insects”?

Label carmine dye as an allergen?

From dried female cochineal insects

Food dye in ice cream, yogurt, candy, cosmetic products

Many reports of asthma induced by inhalation of carmine dye

Health Canada = cochineal

USA = must be labeled in ingredient list as: “cochineal extract

or carmine”

EU = E120

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Insects

Cochineal

Extract or

Carmine Dye

REARING CONDITIONS

A. Strict containment system – insects raised in tanks or trays with

separation for adults and larvae to avoid cannibalistic behaviour

B. Strict conditions – constant ventilation, natural/artificial light, constant temperature, controlled relative humidity to avoid growth of dust

mites and molds

C. Dry and rigid growing substrate – sawdust or wood chips,

paper/cardboard, cellulose pulp, terracotta; substrates that can

contain cavities and shelters

D. Source of drinking water – sponges, blotting paper, in saucers

E. Food supply adapted to the species – plant based, flaked cereals, oats, dry bread, peelings from plants used by humans

33

SLAUGTHERING

Slaughtering by freezing for minimum 24h at -18°C (does not

fully destroy microbes or parasites) OR

Slaughtering by boiling in water for 10-15 min at 90°C (destroys

microbes and parasites but not bacterial spores)

Boiled insects are drained and dried or cooled immediately to

4°C

34

http://www.instructables.com/id/Insects-for-Food-Prep-101/http://www.creaturecontrol.net/insect-freeze-tolerance-mechanism/

PROCESSING - HACCP

During processing ensure procedures do not result in

contamination:

Dehydration at 90°C for 5 hours with pasteurization

Deep-frying at >160°C in oil (careful to avoid formation of

acrylamide from the Maillard reaction…“so not too brown!”)

Toasting at >120°C (while insects are pasteurized, viable spores

may still be present)

Freeze-drying only suitable for insects killed by boiling (considered

low-temperature dehydration)

Acidification (lactic fermentation or use of vinegar) – shown to

inactive Enterobacteriaceae and stabilize spore-forming bacteria

35

REGULATIONS

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ACTION LEVELS – USA & CANADA

FDA: The Food Defect Action Level (21 CFR 110.110)

“maximum levels of natural or unavoidable defects in foods for human use that present no health hazard”

Example: Dates, chopped/sliced/macerated – 10 or more dead insects (whole or equivalent) in 1 or more subsamples OR 5 or more dead insects per 100 g

CANADA: Unavoidable Extraneous Material

“material may occur in food as a by-product of the processing system or as something inherent to the product itself”

Example: minute insect fragments in figs

37

NOVEL FOOD? EU & CANADA

European Union has defined “whole insects and their parts”

as novel foods [Regulation (EU) 2015/2283]

Canada – can they be considered as novel foods as well?

Food & Drug Regulations (Division 28): “a substance,

including a microorganism, that does not have a history of

safe use as food”?

Would they require premarket safety

evaluations/authorization before sale?

38

RECOMMENDATIONS

39

RECOMMENDATIONS

Ensure that insects are fasted before harvesting to limit

microbial content in the gut

Proper handling and processing – HACCP procedures

Heat treatment or cooking step or combination of steps:

Boiling or blanching for 10-15 min at 90ºC

Roasting or sterilization using a brine solution, heating, or lactic acid fermentation

Freeze-drying and grinding

Allergens is a big issue – reason for concern

Allergen labelling for edible insects and products derived

thereof (e.g. carmine dye)

40

FUTURE OUTLOOK

41

CURRENT WORK

Qualitative risk assessment of cricket powder for undernourished infants and children in Cambodia - World Vision Canada (Published in Food Control)

Food safety review on edible insects

Evaluating the microbial content of select insect products that are currently available in local retail stores and from Amazon.ca

Ideas for future funding initiatives and/or collaborations?

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/c9/a3/c2/c9a3c2221d18edd7bb6a0d438d7fe7d8--science-

cartoons-grant.jpg

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QUESTIONS??

Long history of use in non-western countries, with limited illness reports. Is this due to underreporting or true? Future research?

Introduction of regulations for rearing?

Will CFIA/Health Canada inspect insect farms especially if they grow and produce in the same facility?

If no regulations are currently available, how is that insect products are now available on store shelves in Canada?

What kind of controls are in place? Is it just HACCP or should controls that are in place for livestock be the same for insects?

What is the microbial load of pathogenic bacteria (CFU) in edible insects?

Determining the microbiota of edible insects?

What types of farming conditions are best?

Do certain substrates (food waste, manure) lead to more hazards and what types occur?

43

So…what

’s for

lunch?

http://tastewiththeeyes.com/2015/10/entomophagic-anju-tasty-insect-snacks-enjoy-drinking/

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THANK YOU!!