Toxicological characteristics of edible insects in China: A historical review
Gao Y, Wang D, Xu ML, Shi SS, Xiong JF · Food and Chemical Toxicology · 2018 September
DOI 10.1016/j.fct.2018.04.016
Objective
Edible insects are ideal food sources, which contain important nutrients and health-promoting compounds. With a rapid development of industrial insect farming, insect-derived food is a novel and emerging food industry. Edible insects have been traditionally consumed in various communities, while continuously gaining relevance in today's society; however, they currently remain underutilized. The review first describes the research progress on safety toxicological assessment, and then offers references regarding the development of 34 edible insect species in China.
Conclusions
The use of edible insects has a long history in China; a comprehensive review of their toxicological assessment indicates that the traditional edible insects in China are safe and have great potential as novel food resources. However, these edible insects need a more complete toxicological assessment according to the new standard so that they can become more favorable internationally. Currently, the edible insect industry has become the global craze known as 'sun industry', in which the insects are used in the production of so-called novel and healthy food; the industry has broad prospects for development. However, edible insects remain unpopular worldwide, while are only popular among less developed countries, and this situation may be linked to traditional consumption habits, which are highly regional. Although the consumption of insects has no adverse effects, as future food resources, it is necessary to strengthen their toxicological assessment.
Critical Appraisal
Published research can offer valuable insights, but a paper’s conclusions may go beyond what its results support. Critical appraisal examines the methods, findings and limitations to clarify what can reasonably be concluded—and what remains uncertain.
This article has not yet been critically appraised by the Research Hub.
Learn more about Critical Appraisal
