Nutritional properties of giant water bug, a traditional edible insect species of North-East India.
| Title | Nutritional properties of giant water bug, a traditional edible insect species of North-East India. | 
| Publication Type | Journal Article | 
| Year of Publication | 2023 | 
| Authors | Devi MR, Ummalyma SB, Brockmann A, Raina V, Rajashekar Y | 
| Journal | Bioengineered | 
| Volume | 14 | 
| Issue | 1 | 
| Pagination | 2252669 | 
| Date Published | 2023 Dec | 
| ISSN | 2165-5987 | 
| Keywords | Animals, Body Weight, Edible Insects, Feeding Behavior, Female, India, Male, Nutritive Value | 
| Abstract | Edible insects play an important role in human health and food security. Among those, the Giant water bug, (Lep.& Ser.) is a widely used edible insect known for its aroma, flavor, and therapeutic purposes. In the present study, we investigated the nutritional profile, natural habitat, and feeding behavior of in aquarium conditions. A comparative analysis of male and female insects' aroma contents and fatty acid (FA) profiles was also conducted. A dry fried male insect yielded volatile oil of 0.96%/2 g body weight, whereas a dry fried female yielded 0.48%/5.36 g of body weight. In terms of lipids, fresh male insects had 0.15%/5.42 g of body weight and fresh female insects had 0.28%/9.48 g of body weight. There are 24 volatile compounds specific to males, 37 specific to females, and 13 commons to both were identified. 2-Hexen-1-ol, acetate, (Z)- which smells like banana, was prevalently found in males while 4-Octene, 2,6-dimethyl-, [S-(Z)] was prevalently found in female insects. Fatty acids profile analysis detected 32 FA with 12 unique FA from males whereas 22 FA and 3 unique FA were identified from female insects. The SFA percentage present in males and females was 77.44% and 85.21%. Males had 6.78% MUFA content while females have 4.75%. Males have 18% PUFA content enriched with DHA, and EPA, while females had 10.04%. This study revealed that with the presence of a banana-like smell of volatile compound and more MUFA and PUFA in males, the native people of North-East India preferred male over female insects for entomophagy. | 
| DOI | 10.1080/21655979.2023.2252669 | 
| Alternate Journal | Bioengineered | 
| PubMed ID | 37642337 | 
| PubMed Central ID | PMC10467525 | 
 
          
