Author(s)

Clément Saïdou^1*, Kouabiteu Marivaux Lesage Djouffa¹, Bouba Adji Mohammadou¹, Ahmed Ali¹, Clergé Tchiegang²

¹Department of Food Engineering and Quality Control, University Institute of Technology, University of Ngaoundere, Ngaoundere, Cameroon.
²Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, National School of Agro-Industrial Sciences, University of Ngaoundere, Ngaoundere, Cameroon.

Insects are considered as an important source of essential nutrients because of their nutritional value which in turn is related to proteins, lipids, and mineral elements. In order to optimise the nutritional quality of insects, there is a need to identify processing and cooking methods that will result in higher retention of quality nutrients. Several researchers have investigated the effect of cooking methods on the nutritional quality of edible insects. The effect of cooking time on physico-chemical and nutritional parameters of Macrotermes subhyalinus Rambur and Imbrasia obscura Butler was evaluated in this study. M. subhyalinus échantillons were fried and grilled at a temperature of 150°C at intervals of 3, 6, 9, and 12 minutes. I. obscura was initially boiled at 93.4°C for 6, 9, 12, and 15 minutes. Then, I. obscura which had been boiled for six minutes at 93.4°C was fried for 3, 6, 9, and 12 minutes, respectively, at 150°C. The analysis used the pre-levered samples from those various times. The results obtained for M. subhyalinus and I. obscura respectively demonstrate that these two insects comprise primarily proteins (36.83 and 59.04 g/100g DM), lipids (54.24 and 18.67 g/100g DM), and total mineral content (5.87 and 7.82 g/100g DM). With increased cooking time, physical-chemical and nutritional indicators decreased significantly (p < 0.05). When the insects were fried and toasted, the total mineral content increased, but only the lipids increased considerably (p < 0.05). Fry for 3 to 6 minutes and toast for 3 to 6 minutes are treatments for M. subhyalinus that better conserve nutrients. To preserve the nutritional value, scalding I. obscura for 6 minutes and combining it with frying it for 3 minutes are highly advised.

Entomophagy, Insects, Processing, Nutritional Value

Saïdou, C. , Djouffa, K. , Mohammadou, B. , Ali, A. and Tchiegang, C. (2023) Impact of Cooking Time on the Physicochemical and Nutritional Properties of Macrotermes subhyalinus and Imbrasia obscura. Food and Nutrition Sciences, 14, 369-384. doi: 10.4236/fns.2023.144024.