Table 1 The common forms of insect’s products and their organic waste.

Fresh whole insects

Fresh whole insects are sold on the market with no processing. These products are usually found at street food markets in Eastern countries such as China and Thailand⁷.

²⁶

Whole dried insects

Whole dried insects are whole insects which have had their moisture removed by drying. Drying may be simple air drying or by means of heat²⁷. These techniques are popular in countries where entomophagy has been practiced for years such as Asian countries. There is very little consumption of whole dried insects in the EU at current, without further processing.

Ground dried insects

Ground dried or powdered insects are obtained by drying insects, usually through heat or freeze drying. For some species such as locusts, the head and legs are removed. Next, the remaining insect is ground into a fine powder⁷. This form is gaining popularity in Western countries to fortify familiar foods and to increase the protein content such as protein bars and baked goods.

Insect oils/fats

Insect oils are the fats which have been extracted from insects, usually by means of fractionation, mechanical pressing or aqueous based extraction methods. Currently, the main application of insect oils is in the animal feed industry as a high energy, high fatty acid additive, however, some studies have shown potential applications as food ingredients or table oils²⁸.

Insect oils: Beetle Larvae (LM), Cockroach (CO) and Cricket (CR)²⁹

Insect frass

Insect frass is a by-product obtained from insect food and feed production to include spent feedstock, faeces and exuviae^25,30. Therefore, insect frass contains chitin from the exoskeletons of insects, which is broken down by microorganisms in the soil. High in nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, insect frass can be used to improve the quality and fertility of soils.

²⁶