How are insects turned into food? The journey from farm to fork

Harvesting methods

Minilivestock, including edible insects and other small organisms, are primarily harvested from the wild (92%), raising concerns about safety, quality, and species conservation. Overharvesting poses a threat to certain species, while insect farming presents challenges such as disease outbreaks. However, controlled farming can mitigate these risks, with methods including full domestication, semi-domestication, and waste conversion.

Processing technologies

Converting raw insects into consumable products involves various technologies to ensure safety, quality, and palatability. Initial steps include harvesting and pre-processing, which includes methods such as smoking, drying, cooking, and toasting, or a combination of these. These processes are crucial for deactivating microbes and enzymes that could spoil the product or degrade its nutritional value.

Further processing involves thermal, mechanical, chemical, and biochemical techniques. Thermal methods like roasting and baking enhance flavor and texture, making insects crispier and suitable for snacks or whole-roasted products. Mechanical processing includes grinding and milling, which turn insects into fine powders for use in protein bars, snacks, and pasta, while extrusion applies high pressure and temperature to create textured protein products.

Chemical processing methods, such as defatting, use solvents or supercritical fluids to extract fats, producing a high-protein meal. Protein isolation further purifies proteins using chemical solvents. Biochemical processing includes fermentation, which enhances nutritional value, digestibility, and flavor, as well as enzymatic hydrolysis, which breaks down proteins into peptides and amino acids for protein supplements and functional foods.

Currently, edible insect production is mainly limited to household and small-scale enterprises. For their widespread adoption as food and feed, large-scale production with standardized raw materials is essential. Expanding production requires regulations and guidelines to ensure that products remain affordable, nutritious, easy to store, and have a long shelf life.

Innovation in processing

Advancements in insect farming, harvesting, and processing technologies are improving the scalability and sustainability of insect-based food production. Domestication and semi-domestication efforts create controlled environments for breeding, ensuring consistent quality, reducing disease risks, and optimizing nutritional profiles. Sustainable farming practices help protect wild populations and ecosystems.

Emerging technologies, such as high-pressure processing, microwaves, pulsed electric fields, and cold plasma, enhance processing efficiency, safety, and product quality. In particular, combining enzymatic hydrolysis with high-pressure processing (HPP) improves the functional properties of insect proteins, including solubility, gelation, and emulsification, while also reducing allergenicity. Additionally, 3D printing has been proposed to increase the aesthetics and texture of insect-based foods.