Nutrient content of insects

Definition

The chemical composition of insect biomass expressed as proportions or concentrations of macronutrients (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates), micronutrients (vitamins, minerals), and water. Nutrient profiles vary dramatically by taxon, developmental stage, diet, and body region; larvae and adults of the same species often differ substantially. This variation underlies the nutritional ecology of insectivores and the feasibility of insects as human food or animal feed.

Etymology

Example

House crickets (Acheta domesticus) reared on high-protein diets yield adults with crude protein levels of 55–70% dry mass and lipid contents of 7–15%, making them comparable to conventional livestock in feed conversion efficiency but with favorable fatty acid profiles for monogastric animals.

Synonyms

• insect nutritional composition
• insect proximate composition

Related Terms

• caloric value
• amino acid profile
• Chitin
• feed conversion ratio
• Entomophagy
• insect farming
• gut loading
• body condition index
• nutritional ecology

Usage Notes

Typically reported on a dry-mass basis to allow comparison across moisture-variable samples. Proximate analysis (crude protein via nitrogen conversion, ether-extractable lipids, ash, fiber) remains standard, though amino acid scores and fatty acid spectra are increasingly reported for feed and food safety assessments. Values from whole-body analyses differ from those for de-fatted or de-winged preparations. Seasonal and reproductive status cause marked intraspecific variation often overlooked in tabulated reference values.