Figures (0)  Tables (2)
    • Intervention Dosage Duration Subject Outcome Ref.
      Pumpkin spice muffin and dry mix chocolate malt shake containing dried, roasted cricket powder Total daily intake of 25 g (shake containing 10 g of cricket powder and muffins containing 15 g of cricket powder) Randomized, double-blind, crossover trial, with two 14-d intervention periods, and a 14-d washout period Twenty healthy adults aged between 20 to 48 Acetate level in the stool was reduced to
      2.31 uM/g, and propionate levels were reduced
      to 0.58 uM/g. No significant changes observed in excreted bile acids or fecal triglycerides. Bifidobacterium animalis level increased by a log fold of 5.7. Lactobacillus reuteri and two other lactic acid-producing bacteria (LAB) levels decreased by 3 to 4. Reduced plasma TNF-α      		 [34]
      Porridge containing maize, millet, and 5% cricket powder 250 ml of porridge A single-blind, randomized, controlled dietary intervention for 6 months, every 5 d of the week One hundred and thirty-eight children aged between 3−4.5 years Hemoglobin levels increased from 11.93 g/dl to 13.10.05 g/dl to 13.59 g/dl (p = 0.02) [35]
      Intrinsically [57Fe]-labeled and control house crickets (Acheta domesticus) powder consumed with refined (low-phytate, noninhibiting) or nonrefined (high-phytate, inhibiting) meals Two portions of 400–450 g each Two-time blocks of 3 consecutive days, separated by 2 weeks Twenty iron-depleted Dutch females with serum ferritin levels under 25 µg/L, aged 18–30 years old The fractional iron absorption (FIA) from meals containing 57Fe-labeled crickets was 3.06% (95% CI: 1.75–4.37). Meals with unlabeled crickets combined with 54FeSO4 showed a higher absorption of 4.92% (95% CI: 3.59–6.25). The reference meal fortified with 58FeSO4 demonstrated the highest absorption, at 14.2% (95% CI: 12.9–15.5) [36]
      Maize-based meals with intrinsically 67Zn-labeled house crickets (Acheta domesticus) (2.61 mg Zn); meals containing 68Zn (low-enriched: 0.90 mg Zn; high-enriched: 3.24 mg Zn, or with intrinsically 67Zn-labeled low-chitin cricket flour (2.51 mg) Twenty grams of cricket flour Single-center, single-blind, randomized crossover trial with a one-month washout period between test meals Twenty-five pre-school Kenyan children aged between 24 and 36 months Whole cricket meal: 0.36 mg (geometric mean; 95% CI: 0.30–0.43 mg). Low-enriched maize meal: 0.14 mg (95% CI: 0.11–0.16 mg). The cricket meal resulted in 2.6 times higher absorbed zinc compared to the low-enriched meal (p < 0.001). Low-chitin cricket meal exhibited similar available zinc to the whole-cricket meal. Both cricket-enriched meals outperformed the high-enriched ZnSO4 meal in performance [37]
      Beverages containing 25 g of cricket protein Twenty-five grams of insect protein Two occasions separated
      by a minimum interval of
      1 week      		 Twenty healthy, active young men The adjusted mean postprandial incremental area under the curve (iAUC) was higher for cricket-derived protein in relation to plasma leucine, branched-chain amino acids, and essential amino acids concentrations (all p < 0.0001). The adjusted mean postprandial iAUC for hunger was lower for cricket-derived protein (−1197 (SE: 525), p = 0.02). The adjusted mean ad libitum energy intake was recorded as 4,408 (SE: 316) kJ for cricket-derived protein (p = 0.30) [38]
      Drinks enriched with cricket protein after one-legged resistance exercise 0.25 g protein per kilogram of fat-free mass A randomized, single-blind, parallel trial consisting of
      one experimental day      		 Fifty healthy young men, aged 18−30, with a BMI ranging from 18.5 to 30 Cricket protein resulted in lower circulating levels of amino acids. Cricket protein elevates plasma amino acids above baseline. No significant differences were observed in mTORC1 activation among whey, cricket, or pea protein. Cricket proteins stimulate mTORC1 signaling [40]
      Pancakes with an addition of 20% and 30% A. domesticus flour One 240-kcal serving of pancakes One-meal test session. Assessment of satiety and hunger levels using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at multiple intervals
      throughout 3 h after eating      		 Seventy-one healthy volunteers (n = 39 women, n = 32 men) A. domesticus flour (20% and 30% Cr) suppressed the feeling of hunger quickly and for an extended period. Pancakes with 20% cricket and 30% cricket are the most satisfying [39]

      Table 1. 

      Impact of cricket consumption on various health outcomes.

    • Nutrients A. domesticus G. bimaculatus Gryllodes sigillatus Pork Chicken Lamb
      Proximate (g/100 g DW)
      Energy (kcal/100g) 147.0−455.50 120.00 452.00 233.00 143.00 282.00
      Crude protein 15.40−76.19 58.30–60.70 56–71.15 48.97 64.80 40.99
      Lipid/fat 3.30−43.90 11.88−23.40 14.92−18.23 48.26 30.22 57.78
      Carbohydrates 1.60−11.80 0.1 0.10−4.83 0.00 0.15 0.00
      Fiber 3.90−10.20 9.53−10.00 3.65−7.10 − − −
      Chitin 5.40−8.34 9.77 3.4 − − −
      Ash 3.00−11.50 2.8 4.35−18.10 2.56 4.37 2.14
      Essential amino acids (g/100 g of protein)
      Valine 0.05−4.50 3.20 5.20 5.00 4.50 2.32
      Isoleucine 0.04−4.45 2.16 2.66−3.70 4.90 4.20 2.38
      Leucine 0.07−6.50 3.97 5.78−6.90 7.50 6.90 3.86
      Lysine 0.05−5.40 2.42 3.84−5.30 7.90 7.80 3.84
      Threonine 0.74−3.60 2 3.50−3.68 5.10 3.70 2.52
      Phenylalanine 0.03−3.00 1.83 2.20−3.10 4.10 2.50 2.40
      Methionine 0.01−1.40 0.27 1.59−1.60 2.50 2.10 1.63
      Histidine 0.02−2.25 2.5 1.72−2.20 3.20 4.40 1.87
      Tryptophan
      		 0.13−0.68 – 0.9 − − −
      Unsaturated fatty acids (g/100 g DM)
      Myristoleic acid (C14:1) 0.019–0.44 0.007 − 0.000 − −
      Palmitoleic acid (C16:1) 0.09–0.70 0.17-1.22 3.780 2.1-2.8 0.270 1.679
      cis Oleic acid (C18:1n-9) 3.90−20.18 2.91−23.32 − 32.8–43.7 − −
      cis Linoleic acid (C18:2n-6) 1.17−41.39 34.52 − 10.7−14.2 − −
      Linolenic acid (C18:3n-3) 0.01–1.59 1.78 2.130 1.0−1.1 0.670 −
      Eicosapentaenoic (C20:5n-3) 0.01−0.06 0.070 − 0.2−0.4 − 0.00
      Erucic acid (C22:1n-9) 0.014−0.52 0.01−0.02 − 0.00 − 0.00
      MUFA 4.14−29.99 9.85−4.33 34.33 3.26−43.04 46.670 23.704
      PUFA 1.45−36.48 1.80−7.46 31.910 0.62−16.00 20.00 4.568
      Saturated fatty acid (g/100 g DM)
      Lauric acid (C12:0) < 0.02−0.10 0.04−0.44 0.100 0.210 − −
      Myristic acid (C14:0) 0.04–0.55 0.05−0.271 1.650 1.3−1.4 1.330 2.296
      Pentadecanoic acid (C15:0) 0.01–0.11 0.01−0.036 − 4.1−4.7 − −
      Palmitic acid (C16:0) 1.56–24.92 2.16−23.92 23.500 23.2−27.3 22.670 12.667
      Heptadecanoic acid (C17:0) 0.02–0.12 0.03−0.101 0.320 0.2−0.3 − −
      Stearic acid (C18:0) 0.58–8.97 0.76−8.34 7.350 12.2−16.1 8.00 7.951
      Minerals (mg/100 g of DM)
      Calcium 27.50−3,105.04 240.17 117.30−130.00 6.00 6.00 16.00
      Copper 0.51−5.08 4.55 4.79−4.90 0.07 0.04 0.10
      Iron 1.93−11.23 8.75 4.23−4.70 0.79 0.59 1.55
      Magnesium 22.60−136.58 143.65 42.70−101.00 19.00 20.50 21.00
      Manganese 0.89−4.40 − 2.90 < 0.0125 0.01 0.02
      Phosphorus 32.37−1,806.00 1,169.60 782.10 173.00−320.00 166.00−407.00 157.00
      Potassium 347.00−1,280.00 1,079.90 870.00−1,190.00 318.00−400.00 248.00−302.00 222.00
      Selenium 0.02−0.60 − 0.09 − − 18.80
      Sodium 95.05−863.34 452.99 298.00−330.00 45.00−87.00 63.00 59.00
      Zinc 2.18−24.40 22.43 13.90−16.80 2.23 1.18 3.41
      Vitamins (mg/100 g DM)
      Retinol 24.33 − − − 0.006–0.020 −
      Thiamine (B1) 0.02-1.66 0.42 − 0.49 0.08−0.09 0.11
      Riboflavin (B2) 3.84 0.89 − 0.23 0.15−0.25 0.21
      Niacin (B3) 3.84 1.09 − 4.86 3.06−12.44 5.96
      Pantothenic acid (B5) 2.30 − − − − 0.65
      Pyridoxine (B6) 0.13-0.23 5.28 − 0.25 0.33−0.55 0.13
      Biotin (B7) 0.02 − − − − −
      Folate (B9) 0.15−0.49 0.51 − − − −
      Vitamin B12 0.01 − − 0.57 0.40 0.00
      Vitamin C 3.00 − − 0.00 − −
      Vitamin E (α-tocopherol) 1.32 − − 0.33 0.30 0.20
      Choline 151.90 − − − − 69.30
      Variations in the reported nutrient contents may arise due to differences in species, developmental stage, diet composition, analytical methodologies, and processing conditions. These details are excluded from the table to maintain clarity and readability.

      Table 2. 

      Nutritional composition of edible crickets and their comparison with animal foods (data is adapted from the following studies[10,18,22,29,30]).