BUGS, BUGS, BUGS WHICH ARE GOOD? WHICH ARE BAD?

Kavita Walia, PhD ([email protected])

September 19, 2018

Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety, Department of Food Science, University of Guelph

Presented at: 2018 National CIPHI Conference, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

1

OUTLINE

¤ Background

¤ Research Gaps

¤ Food Safety Hazards

¤ Regulations – Canada, USA, EU

¤ Recommendations

¤ Current & Future Work

2 BACKGROUND

3 WHAT IS ENTOMOPHAGY?

¤ The eating of insects

¤ >2000 edible insects

¤ Eaten by ~2 billion people worldwide

¤ Traditional practice in many nations: ¤ Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific ¤ Western countries beginning to show an interest

https://iowacricketfarmer.com/?page_id=6401

4 TYPES OF EDIBLE INSECTS

Beetles Grasshoppers, Crickets Bugs and Bees, Ants, Moths Worms and Spiders Locusts Flies Termites Caterpillars Jewel beetle Long-headed Giant cricket Edible stink Honey bee Pepper tree Wild silkworm Bird eater grasshopper bug moth spider

Ground Sundanese Spotted Melon Bug Stingless bee Msasa moth African silkworm beetle tree locust cricket Long-horned Australian African mole Water Hornet Jameson’s African army worm beetle plague locust cricket scorpions cream spot Stag beetle Coffee locust Mormon Sudan Southern yellow Dark Chopper Lesser army worm bush cricket millet bug jacket Cockroach Red locust Sand cricket Mayfly African thief ant Slug moth Common bagworm Western ash Brown locust Non-biting Driver ants Emperor moth Red tequila worm borer midges Yam beetle Madagascar Dragonfly Weaver ants Hawk moth Processionary locust caterpillar

Dung beetle Edible Black fly Honey ant Silk moth Mopane worm – grasshopper larvae of emperor moth

Weevile Rocky Cicada Dry wood termite mountain grasshopper

Water Beetle Fruit fly Harvester termites

5 AMAZON.com (TREND?)

- How are these products regulated? - Avenue for future illness?

6 ENTOMO FARMS (ONTARIO)

¤ History of farming insects for reptiles

¤ North America’s first human-grade insect farm (2014)

¤ One of the worlds largest insect protein providers

- How is this farming practice regulated in in Ontario? - Adverse effects?

7 COOKIE MARTINEZ (TORONTO)

¤ Toronto restaurant specializing in Colombian Street Food ¤ Serves an insect menu: ¤ Cricket empanadas ¤ Cricket kebabs ¤ Cricket brittle ¤ Spicy insect spoon with silk worms ¤ Agar agar and cricket garnish

- How is this regulated? - Adverse effects?

8 ONE HOP KITCHEN

http://onehopkitchen.com

9 DOCUMENTARY

http://thegatewaybug.com

10 PODCASTS

https://entonation.com

11 HOME REARING ON THE TABLETOP THE HIVE TM

https://www.livinfarms.com

12 CONFERENCES/SYMPOSIUMS

https://www.wur.nl/en/activity/Symposium-InsectSpace-2018.htm

13 SUSTAINABILITY

14 ECO-FRIENDLY

¤ Help reduce environmental contamination

¤ Play a role in waste biodegradation

¤ Require less watering and less land for harvesting ¤ E.g., crickets require 12 times less feed and13 times less water than cattle

¤ Emit low levels of ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions ¤ E.g., pigs produce 10-100 times more emissions per kg than mealworms

¤ Efficient at converting feed into protein

https://www.westernexterminator.com/bug-control/edible-insects/

15 GROWING POPULATION

¤ Edible insects have the potential to meet the growing demand for protein while contributing to food and nutrition security

“…all over the world money worth billions are spent every year to save crops that contain no more than 14% of plant protein by killing another food source (insects) that may contain up to 75% of high-quality animal protein.” - Premalatha et al. (2011)

16 INSECTS vs. TRADITIONAL PROTEIN

https://www.westernexterminator.com/bug-control/edible-insects/

17 NUTRITION

PROTEIN 13 to 77% of dry matter Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Na, Mn, P and Zn, ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS B group vitamins and vitamins A, C, 46-96% D, E, K ENERGY VALUE 293 to 762 kcal/100 g dry matter CARBOHYDRATES (CHITIN) FAT CONTENT 2.7 mg and 49.8 10–60% of dry mg/kg of fresh matter matter TOTAL POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS up to 70% of total fatty acids

18 VARIABILITY IN TASTE AND FLAVOUR

¤ A sweet, almost nutty and wholemeal bread flavour

¤ Tastes like: ¤ Fatty brisket with skin ¤ Fish, caviar, herring ¤ Mushrooms ¤ Apples ¤ Pine seeds/nuts ¤ Raw corn ¤ Fried potatoes

19 RESEARCH GAPS

20 CURRENTLY

¤ Current research focus: ¤ Nutritional aspects ¤ Sustainability of production ¤ Economics ¤ Types of insects consumed by various ethnic groups

¤ However…Food safety aspects of edible insects are LIMITED

21 FOOD SAFETY HAZARDS

22 THE PERFECT STORM

¤ Insects that feed on edible plants can be considered safe to consume

¤ However…

¤ Edible insects can harbour: Ø Pathogenic Microorganisms Ø Chemicals including pesticides, heavy metals and alkalis Ø Mycotoxins Ø Natural Toxins Ø Allergens

23 BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS - MICROBIAL

¤ Eating insects raw can result in potential illness from: ¤ Enterobacteriaceae and spore-forming bacteria, as these type of microorganisms are commonly found in soil

¤ Current literature suggests: ¤ Acinetobacter ¤ Bacillus cereus ¤ Campylobacter Dependent on species, ¤ Escherichia coli microbiota, rearing ¤ Micrococcus conditions, handling, processing and ¤ Proteus preservation ¤ Pseudomonas aeruginosa ¤ Staphylococcus

24 BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS – MICROBIAL cont.

¤ The Scientific Committee of the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (2014): ¤ Total aerobic bacterial counts ~104 to 107 CFU/g ¤ Total anaerobic bacterial counts ~107 CFU/g ¤ Enterobacteriaceae in mealworms, locusts and morio worms ~107 to 109 CFU/g ¤ Enterobacteriaceae in raw silk worms ~10 CFU/g

http://worldmicrobio.blogspot.ca/p/tpc.html

25 BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS - PARASITES

¤ Flukes (various spp.)

¤ Nematodes

¤ Trypanosoma (causes Chagas)

¤ Protozoa

¤ For control: ¤ Harvesting insects from a closed environment (i.e., a controlled farm) to limit parasitic hosts ¤ Proper cooking and freezing to further decrease risks

26 CHEMICAL HAZARDS

¤ Highly dependent on: ¤ Insect species ¤ Habitat ¤ Natural environment ¤ Farming conditions ¤ Feed

¤ Insects with a shorter life cycle will bioaccumlate less chemicals than those that have a longer life cycle

Examples: ¤ Some insects (wax moths, migratory locusts, mealworm beetle, buffalo worm) contain low levels of common chemical hazards: Flame retardants, PCBs, DDT, Dioxin, Pesticides, Metals such as As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sn, Zn. Levels are the same as those found in meat and fish products

27 CHEMICAL HAZARDS - EXAMPLES

¤ Case reports of high elevated blood lead levels in California children and pregnant women after consuming dried grasshoppers (i.e., chapulines) imported from Mexico

¤ Metabolic steroids found in beetles potentially caused growth retardation, hypofertility, masculinization in females, edema, jaundice and liver cancer

¤ Longhorn beetles known to contain toluene – affects nervous system causing headaches, dizziness or unconsciousness, also affects liver and kidneys

¤ Flour beetles contain benzoquinones, but their carcinogenicity is not known…

¤ Some insects can contain natural toxic substances such as cyanogenic glycosides leading to high levels of hydrogen cyanide

¤ Certain insects have anti-nutritional substances where after consumption deficiency of key vitamins occur (e.g., thiamine deficiency after consuming Anaphe venata caterpillar)

28 FOOD ALLERGENS

¤ Adverse effect from a specific immune response that occurs after exposure to a given food

¤ For the majority of those eating edible insects the risk to allergic reactions will be low

¤ However, for those with allergic reactions to crustaceans and house dust mites the risk is high

¤ Examples: ¤ Yellow mealworm can result in co-sensitization between allergens (arginine kinase and tropomyosin) and those from crustaceans and house dust mites ¤ Some insects have high levels of chitin so individuals who are allergic to shrimp may also be allergic to these edible insects

29 FOOD ALLERGENS – CASE REPORTS

30 SILKWORM PUPA - ANAPHYLAXIS

¤ Silkworm pupae are nutrient rich, ~ 50% protein and abundant amino acids ¤ Traditional Chinese food and used in medicine ¤ Served: fried in oil, boiled in water, or ground in powder form

Jie et al. 2008: ¤ 13 people suffered anaphylactic reactions to silkworm pupae ¤ Allergen is ~30 kDa protein (not specified)

Gautreau et al. 2016: ¤ Reported 2 cases of anaphylactic shock in one family

31 ALLERGEN LABELLING?

¤ If foods contain edible insects should those foods have an allergen label on the packaging stating “Insects”?

Insects

Cochineal ¤ Label carmine dye as an allergen? Extract or Carmine Dye ¤ From dried female cochineal insects ¤ Food dye in ice cream, yogurt, candy, cosmetic products ¤ Many reports of asthma induced by inhalation of carmine dye ¤ Health Canada = cochineal ¤ USA = must be labeled in ingredient list as: “cochineal extract or carmine” ¤ EU = E120

32 REARING CONDITIONS

A. Strict containment system – insects raised in tanks or trays with separation for adults and larvae to avoid cannibalistic behaviour

B. Strict conditions – constant ventilation, natural/artificial light, constant temperature, controlled relative humidity to avoid growth of dust mites and molds

C. Dry and rigid growing substrate – sawdust or wood chips, paper/ cardboard, cellulose pulp, terracotta; substrates that can contain cavities and shelters

D. Source of drinking water – sponges, blotting paper, in saucers

E. Food supply adapted to the species – plant based, flaked cereals, oats, dry bread, peelings from plants used by humans

33 SLAUGTHERING

¤ Slaughtering by freezing for minimum 24h at -18°C (does not fully destroy microbes or parasites) OR

¤ Slaughtering by boiling in water for 10-15 min at 90°C (destroys microbes and parasites but not bacterial spores)

¤ Boiled insects are drained and dried or cooled immediately to 4°C

http://www.creaturecontrol.net/insect-freeze-tolerance-mechanism/ http://www.instructables.com/id/Insects-for-Food-Prep-101/

34 PROCESSING - HACCP

¤ During processing ensure procedures do not result in contamination:

¤ Dehydration at 90°C for 5 hours with pasteurization

¤ Deep-frying at >160°C in oil (careful to avoid formation of acrylamide from the Maillard reaction…“so not too brown!”)

¤ Toasting at >120°C (while insects are pasteurized, viable spores may still be present)

¤ Freeze-drying only suitable for insects killed by boiling (considered low-temperature dehydration)

¤ Acidification (lactic fermentation or use of vinegar) – shown to inactive Enterobacteriaceae and stabilize spore-forming bacteria

35 REGULATIONS

36 ACTION LEVELS – USA & CANADA

¤ FDA: The Food Defect Action Level (21 CFR 110.110) ¤ “maximum levels of natural or unavoidable defects in foods for human use that present no health hazard” ¤ Example: Dates, chopped/sliced/macerated – 10 or more dead insects (whole or equivalent) in 1 or more subsamples OR 5 or more dead insects per 100 g

¤ CANADA: Unavoidable Extraneous Material ¤ “material may occur in food as a by-product of the processing system or as something inherent to the product itself” ¤ Example: minute insect fragments in figs

37 NOVEL FOOD? EU & CANADA

¤ European Union has defined “whole insects and their parts” as novel foods [Regulation (EU) 2015/2283]

¤ Canada – can they be considered as novel foods as well? Food & Drug Regulations (Division 28): “a substance, including a microorganism, that does not have a history of safe use as food”?

¤ Would they require premarket safety evaluations/ authorization before sale?

38 RECOMMENDATIONS

39 RECOMMENDATIONS

¤ Ensure that insects are fasted before harvesting to limit microbial content in the gut

¤ Proper handling and processing – HACCP procedures

¤ Heat treatment or cooking step or combination of steps: ¤ Boiling or blanching for 10-15 min at 90ºC ¤ Roasting or sterilization using a brine solution, heating, or lactic acid fermentation ¤ Freeze-drying and grinding

¤ Allergens is a big issue – reason for concern

¤ Allergen labelling for edible insects and products derived thereof (e.g. carmine dye)

40

FUTURE OUTLOOK

41 CURRENT WORK

¤ Qualitative risk assessment of cricket powder for undernourished infants and children in Cambodia - World Vision Canada (Published in Food Control)

¤ Food safety review on edible insects

¤ Evaluating the microbial content of select insect products that are currently available in local retail stores and from Amazon.ca

¤ Ideas for future funding initiatives and/or collaborations?

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/c9/a3/c2/c9a3c2221d18edd7bb6a0d438d7fe7d8--science- cartoons-grant.jpg 42 QUESTIONS??

¤ Long history of use in non-western countries, with limited illness reports. Is this due to underreporting or true? Future research? ¤ Introduction of regulations for rearing? ¤ Will CFIA/Health Canada inspect insect farms especially if they grow and produce in the same facility? ¤ If no regulations are currently available, how is that insect products are now available on store shelves in Canada? ¤ What kind of controls are in place? Is it just HACCP or should controls that are in place for livestock be the same for insects? ¤ What is the microbial load of pathogenic bacteria (CFU) in edible insects? ¤ Determining the microbiota of edible insects? ¤ What types of farming conditions are best? ¤ Do certain substrates (food waste, manure) lead to more hazards and what types occur?

43 THANK YOU!!

So…what’s for lunch?

http://tastewiththeeyes.com/2015/10/entomophagic-anju-tasty-insect-snacks-enjoy-drinking/

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