ABSTRACT

Scientists predict that rapid increases in the world population will lead to difficulty accessing nutrients for humans in the future. Based on this foresight, finding alternative food sources, such as edible insects, has become an important research subject. Compared with farm animals and poultry, insects’ positive contributions to the environment have made them an alternative for sustainable nutrition. Despite its increasing popularity and its recognition as a nutritious and sustainable food source, the consumption of edible insects is still an unusual concept for many people.

This study examines the attitudes of gastronomy and culinary arts students towards edible insects as an alternative nutrient source. The study sample consisted of 33 participants, 63.6% (n=21) female and 36.4% (n=12) male students, with an average age of 23.09.

Three bar recipes were developed for this study. All bars contained mashed dates, crushed raw almonds, and raw almond flour. Aside from these common ingredients, the first bar contained chocolate-flavored protein powder and oat flour, the second bar contained locusta migratoria-type cricket in apowdered form, and the third bar contained locusta migratoria both in a powdered form and as the whole insect. All bar ingredients were mixed separately and shaped into bars. All ingredients, including the insects, were suitable for immediate consumption; therefore, heat treatment was not applied.

A face-to-face interview technique was applied for the taste test. While 17 participants consumed the bars with insects, 16 did not, and the reasons they gave were that they found insects disgusting, unhealthy, and against their religious beliefs and cultural values. It was concluded that, if gastronomy and culinary arts students were educated about the environmental benefits of edible insect consumption, their nutritious values, and the hygienic conditions in which these insects are bred and processed, the consumption of insects may increase in the future.