Scientists conducting research into long-term alternative resource opportunities to address growing global food insecurity have identified a strong localised export opportunity by looking at the unlikeliest of lifeforms – insects. Following a two-year study by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) that specifically studied mealworms, it has been found that the larvae of the species of darkling beetle could easily be processed into animal feed and human food. Primarily mealworm farming is ideal for the agricultural sector, particularly as a low-cost feed source for fish and poultry. But although the project’s findings have been summarised in a presentation referring to insects as “unlikely heroes in a new animal feed value chain”, the research also confirmed that mealworms could be used in the manufacture of products aimed at the cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food industries. The pilot study, conducted in conjunction with the University of Limpopo, found that “mealworms can be massreared on discarded food such as sorghum waste, hardly need water, reproduce very quickly, and their food-conversion ratio is higher than that of cows and chicken”. In addition, through exploring solutions to innovative food and feed production in communities such as the Dikgale settlement north of Polokwane, mealworm farming can effectively address unemployment by tapping into the indigenous knowledge systems of rural residents and their understanding of sustainable resources in their own environment. Moreover, according to senior enterprise and development specialist at the CSIR, Dr Luke Mehlo, the up-scaling of mealworm rearing and processing is not only viable but relatively simple. Fleshing out one’s diet with insects was also nothing new, he said. “Globally over two billion people already supplement their diet with insects because they’re a rich source of protein, good fats, oils, minerals and vitamins.” An external source added that every 100 grams of raw mealworm could contain up to 206 calories and some 14 to 15 grams of protein. With the exception of vitamin B12, mealworms also contain “levels of potassium, copper, sodium, selenium, iron and zinc that rival that of beef”. Furthermore, it’s not novel to export products derived from processed beetle larvae to various countries around the world. China is one such exporter whose mealworm products are imported by the local pet industry. Existing and projected figures alone serve to support enthusiasm for the institute’s findings. It is estimated that 70% more food will have to be produced by 2050 to cater for a global population figure expected to balloon to nine billion. What’s alarming though is that the world’s growing desire for meat is inversely proportional to diminishing agricultural land. Climate change and the depletion of marine stock is also compounding matters which is why the CSIR believes “for both food and feed we need to find alternative protein sources”. Mehlo said in Africa alone there were some 250 types of beetle, locust and worm that were edible, and “if we use our biological knowledge we can industrialise insects with the added benefit of job creation in the line of insect product processing”. He added that it included down-the-line beneficiation involving interlocking business opportunities. It has already been found that in order to meet global demand for seafood, inland fish farming will soon become an essential component of a sustainable fisheries industry. Mehlo also stressed that the project, which was funded by US interests and the International Atomic Energy Agency, had already attracted interest from the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation. As for the involuntary revulsion some people harbour for eating insects – a culinary practice called entomophagy that’s custom in some countries – it has already been found that mealworm powder can be processed and presented in a way that makes it universally acceptable, perhaps even ‘tastier’ than mopane worms.
