Edible insects: A comprehensive sensor and sensory comparison of Acheta domesticus, Tenebrio molitor, Alphitobius diaperinus, and Locusta migratoria

Edible insects provide a valuable and environmentally sustainable alternative source of animal protein. Four species, Acheta domesticus (cricket), Tenebrio molitor (yellow mealworm), Alphitobius diaperinus (lesser mealworm), and Locusta migratoria (locust), are now considered to be food in the European Union. However, there is limited information on strategies for identifying these insects in food or on their acceptance by consumers. We surveyed consumers (n = 132) who rated the appearance, aroma, texture, flavour, and overall acceptability of biscuits containing a 19.6 % powder of each of these four insects. The overall acceptance of the insect products was cricket > lesser mealworm > locust > yellow mealworm, with significantly higher acceptance values for the cricket sample in assessors over 30 years of age. Further, the consumers ranked the cricket and lesser mealworm higher than the control without insects. Additionally, we used a gas chromatograph-ion mobility spectrometer (GC-IMS) and an electronic nose for insect classification. All insect species were correctly classified by both the electronic nose and GC-IMS by linear discriminant analysis. However, by GC-IMS, the pattern of volatiles in the cricket samples was similar to the pattern of the control and the lesser mealworm. The 2-ethylphenylacetate that we detected in the yellow mealworm sample may explain its low consumer acceptability. In summary, the acceptance of biscuits with high insect content was surprisingly high, especially for cricket and lesser mealworm. Our analytical measurements demonstrate the utility of the aroma profile as a tool for classifying and potentially identifying insects in food products.