
@article {135864,
	title = {Nutritional properties of giant water bug,  a traditional edible insect species of North-East India.},
	journal = {Bioengineered},
	volume = {14},
	year = {2023},
	month = {2023 Dec},
	pages = {2252669},
	abstract = {<p>Edible insects play an important role in human health and food security. Among those, the Giant water bug, (Lep.\&amp; 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{\textquoteright} 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.</p>
},
	keywords = {Animals, Body Weight, Edible Insects, Feeding Behavior, Female, India, Male, Nutritive Value},
	issn = {2165-5987},
	doi = {10.1080/21655979.2023.2252669},
	author = {Devi, Mutum R and Ummalyma, Sabeela B and Brockmann, Axel and Raina, Vishakha and Rajashekar, Yallappa}
}
