The Nutritional Value of Grasshoppers and Locusts – A Review

Alternative protein source discovery is one of the main objectives of all researchers in the nutrition field because the world population is increasing rapidly. Insects are currently on top of the list of alternative protein sources. Grasshopper and locust meals are from that category. Grasshoppers and locusts, commonly consumed in insect-eating communities, are among the most promising insects as food and feed. Therefore, this review aims to summarize available data on their nutritional composition including crude fiber (2.5–17.7%), chitin (4–11%), crude ash (1.8–6.7%), crude protein (16.6–77.3%), crude fat (2.6–54.9%), and energy (157–527 kcal/g) of grasshoppers varying between these ranges. The essential amino acids (AA) profile reflects methionine (0.9–3.9%), lysine (2.9–7.1%), threonine (1.6–5.3%), leucine (4.6–12.7%), tryptophan (0.4–3.2%), and valine (4.1–0.2%). The fatty acids (FA) profile is oleic acid (3.4–40.9%), linoleic acid (0.8–45.6%), linolenic acid (1.4–13.1%), and lauric acid (0.3–1.3%). The polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) (17.5–67.4%) and saturated FA (SFA) (22.1–56.8%) are present in the range quoted in brackets. The PUFA content richness is beneficial for human consumption. The huge diversity in the chemical composition of grasshoppers is mainly due to the substrate chemical composition on which grasshoppers propagate. Some allergic reactions have been reported in the literature, but the removal of wings, legs, and antennae overcame the allergenicity problem. In conclusion, this review summarizes the nutritional composition of grasshoppers and locusts in scientific literature.