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ENTOSAFE - Edible insects: From a sustainable food production to a food safety concern.

Publication . Cardoso, Diogo; Mostafaie, Amid; Silva, Ana Rita; Motta, Carla; Murta, Daniel; Pinto, Glória; Coelho, Inês; Prodana, Marija; Silva, Patricia; Alvito, Paula; Calisto, Vania; Loureiro, Susana

The use of insects as a food and feed source is nowadays considered a solution for the increasing food demands in the following years. With that in mind, the recently funded project “ENTOSAFE - Edible insects: From a sustainable food production to a food safety concern” aims to integrate the food safety and the environmental sustainability aspects of edible insect farming. ENTOSAFE will take advantage of a symbiotic multidisciplinary team with members from industry (EntoGreen® - Ingredient Odyssey, Portugal) and academia (Univ. of Aveiro and National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Portugal). The project is committed to provide knowledge on the accumulation and transfer of potential contaminants (e.g., metals, mycotoxins, PAHs, pharmaceuticals) in insects farmed in rearing facilities, contributing directly with data sets to the new legislation and regulatory limits, concerning the presence of these compounds in the substrate. ENTOSAFE brings new approaches, focusing on full bioaccumulation studies through a complete uptake phase, assessing the contaminant into insects in different times during this phase. Considering the lack of information on insects’ elimination capacity to excrete contaminants from their body, an elimination phase will be studied in a non-contaminated substrate. ENTOSAFE is also promoting environmentally sustainable strategies while avoiding any wasted components from the process. The application of frass, as an organic fertilizer - produced by the digestion of the agricultural wastes or other residues by insects - on crops is presented as a promising solution to a zero-waste policy. Despite promising, the available information on the benefits that this by-product has on crop productivity is scarce. In this context, ENTOSAFE seeks evidence on the impact of this frass on agricultural soil’s main functions and the key processes behind. The project will evaluate the effects in soil quality and functions, soil-biota interactions in soils enriched with organic amendments and plant responses to stressors, by performing a series of experiments from laboratory to greenhouse scale. In summary, ENTOSAFE will contribute to an upscaling on the use of edible insects as feed and food, covering not only safety concerns but also promoting the sustainability of insect rearing processes.

2022-05-15Conference object

Open access

Assessing Contaminant Uptake and Elimination in Insects: Implications for Sustainable Food Production and Waste Management

Publication . Cardoso, Diogo; Silva, Ana; Duarte, Regina; Brandão, Pedro; Epifânio, Joana; Azevedo, Abraão; Prodana, Maria; Mostafaie, Amid; Pinto, José; Silva, Patrícia; Coelho, Inês; Rego, Andreia; Alvito, Paula; Brooks, Bryan; Loureiro, Susana

Considering the global food crisis and the pressing issue of waste generation, sustainable solutions for food demand are crucial. Insects have emerged as a promising protein source for food and feed due to their efficient bioconversion capacity and ability to utilize nonvaluable products. However, ensuring the safety of insects for food and feed is essential. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the uptake and elimination of contaminants by insects, going beyond conventional measurements of contamination levels. Methodology: The study employed two-phase bioaccumulation studies involving an uptake phase with a contaminated substrate followed by an elimination phase in a clean substrate. Data from these studies were used in toxicokinetic modelling. The objective was to assess the bioaccumulation capacity of mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and various polycyclic aromatic compounds (benzo[a] pyrene [B[a]P], benz[a]anthracene [B[a]A], benzo[b]fluoranthene [B[a] F], and crysene [Cry]) in black soldier fly (BSF) larvae (Hermetia illucens). Although high metal bioaccumulation potential (e.g., for Hg, Cd, Pb, As) in edible insects has already been identified as risk, there is a gap regarding hazard assessment of the organic contaminants (e.g., B[a]P, B[a]A, B[a]F, Cry). The findings indicate that when insects were exposed to the maximum allowed levels of metals according to European Union feed regulations, they accumulated contaminant levels unsuitable for feeding other animals. However, after a depuration period, the insects could reduce the contaminant concentrations to comply with the existing legislation. For instance, a 4 to 5 days depuration period was found sufficient for safer consumption of insects exposed to Hg, while a longer period was required for Cd elimination. Interestingly, no significant accumulation of polycyclic aromatic compounds was observed when insects were fed at the maximum allowed levels. Conclusion: These findings have significant implications, particularly when insects are employed as waste converters, where concerns arise regarding contaminants. This study supports the implementation of a depuration period after exposure to waste that may vary depending on the classes of contaminants involved. Toxicokinetics is an adequate tool for the safety assessment of insects as feed and food, but it also defines the conditions that will assure their sustainable use in waste management.

2023-09Conference object

Restricted access

Aflatoxin B1 accumulation in Tenebrio molitor: a preliminary assessment

Publication . Andrade, M.A.; Cardoso, D.N.; Silva, A.R.R.; Prodana, M.; Santos, J.; Loureiro, S.; Alvito, Paula

With the population growth rate, there are some concerns that food production will not be able to keep up with this growth. Edible insects seem to present a sustainable solution. Farming these insects presents an opportunity to drain the production of the by-products by reusing them as bio-feedstocks and reintroducing these components into the food value chain. However, these products can present several contaminations, including mycotoxins, which can be accumulated in insects after exposure to the contaminant, and be detected at the end of the food chain. The ENTOSAFE project aims to address these concerns and evaluate the potential risk for the consumer. The principal aim of this study was to evaluate the mycotoxin aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) accumulation in Tenebrio molitor (yellow Mealworm, YMW) exposed to a spiked AFB1 feed subtract at maximum levels in cereals and products derived from cereals (2 µg/kg) and ten times higher (20 µg/kg). AFB1 contents were quantified in both feed substrate and T. molitor samples, before and after a 14-days of exposure and mycotoxins (aflatoxins and ochratoxin A, OTA), detected by HPLC-FD detection. Results concerning non-contaminated feed substrate revealed absence of AFB1 and presence of OTA, the latter (0,8 µg/kg) presenting values below the legislated value of 3 µg/kg, for cereals and products derived from cereals (European Commission, 2023). AFB1 spiked feed substrates revealed values slightly higher (4 and 23 µg/kg) than the theoretical contamination levels of 2 and 20 µg/kg. OTA values remain close to the previously reported. No changes occurred in contamination levels at beginning and 14-days AFB1 exposure assays. Results concerning T. molitor larvae, revealed absence of OTA along exposure assays and different AFB1 contamination levels. AFB1 contents in low (0.011 µg/kg) and high (0.022 µg/kg) AFB1 contamination levels were close, and below the 2 µg/kg legislated level for cereals and products derived from cereals (European Commission, 2023), after the 14-days exposure. The reported results are preliminary, so several aspects need to be improved as mycotoxin analytical method validation, mycotoxin contamination procedure and a higher number of samples to get representative results on AFB1 accumulation in insect larvae.

2023-09Conference object

Restricted access