The research team aimed to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the mineral composition of Huhu grubs at different stages of development to obtain information on their content and safety.
The analysis was undertaken on wild huhu grubs during the four stages (small, medium, large, and pupa) of their lifecycle. They were harvested from a pine-forested site in Dunedin.
Ms Kavle said the insects were picked from rotten wood in the forest, taken to the lab, washed, and stored in the freezer at -80 degrees Celsius. The insects were freeze-dried, removing all moisture, and then ground for experiments.
“Across the four development stages of the huhu, protein ranged from 26.2 percent to 30.5 percent, which is high when compared to other common protein sources such as beef (21 percent), lamb (20.3 percent), chicken (17.4 percent), soy (13 percent), and chickpeas (20.5 percent),” she said.
“We also found that the grubs were rich in essential minerals, which all play vital roles in human health and nutrition, the most abundant being manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, copper, and zinc.”
University of Otago department of food science senior lecturer and co-author Dr Dominic Agyei said the intention was not to replace conventional foods such as beef with insects, but the mineral levels in the huhu were high enough to compete with animal-based products and plant-based products such as soy.
“The importance is diversification of food sources,” he said.
“We know that food comes from various plants and animal sources, but often due to sustainability issues, food scarcity and security concerns, we need to diversify some of the places we get food from, especially foods that are rich in proteins and other minerals.
“That's why insects are receiving some interest in that context.”
The research concluded it was safe to eat the insects as supplements.
The research team is now working towards making the insects commercially attractive for consumers and hoping for investors to come on board.
