Food & Nutrition Journal Chakravorty J, et al. Food Nutr J 3: 180. Research Article DOI: 10.29011/2575-7091.100080 Ducetia japonica and Phyllozelus Sp.: Two Tettigoniid Species of Or- thopteran Insects Appreciated by Tribal People of Arunachal Pradesh (North-East India) May Serve as Future Alternative Food Source Jharna Chakravorty*, Mallika Gogoi, Salomi Jugli, Marchina Boria Department of Zoology, Rajiv Gandhi University, Rono Hills, Arunachal Pradesh, India *Corresponding author: Jharna Chakravorty, Department of Zoology, Rajiv Gandhi University, Rono Hills 791112, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Tel: +913602278507; Email: [email protected] Citation: Chakravorty J, Gogoi M, Jugli S, Boria M (2018) Ducetia japonica and Phyllozelus Sp.: Two Tettigoniid Species of Orthopteran Insects Appreciated by Tribal People of Arunachal Pradesh (North-East India) May Serve as Future Alternative Food Source. Food Nutr J 3: 180. DOI: 10.29011/2575-7091.100080 Received Date: 16 May, 2018; Accepted Date: 29 May, 2018; Published Date: 06 June, 2018 Abstract Ducetia japonica and Phyllozelus sp., two tettigoniid orthopteran insect species appreciated as food by people of Arunachal Pradesh were analyzed to assess their nutritional potentials. Ducetia japonica and Phyllozelus sp. contained 56.28% and 61.57% protein, 14.99% and 7.93% fat, 11.84% and 8.30% fiber, 4.59 % and 3.01 % ash and 11.84% and 19.19% carbohydrates respectively. In both the species 18 amino acids were detected including essential amino acids and were found satisfying the recommended dosages (scores >100). Both the species contained 22.77% and 26.84% MUFAs and 18.93% and 41.73% PUFAs, respectively. The two orthopteran insects contained superior amount of micro minerals (Cu, Fe, Zn and Mn) and moderate amounts of macro minerals (Na, K, Ca and Mg). Thus, these two-orthopteran species could serve as an alternative food source and as a tasty and promising source of essential nutrients on par with or superior to conventional food of both plant and animal origin. They should be included in plans to rear and farm nutritionally valuable species of edible orthopterans. Keywords: Alternative Food Source; Arunachal Pradesh; requirements and may be reared on a variety of comestibles often Ducetia japonica; Nutritional Potentials; Phyllozelus Sp considered inedible or unattractive by human, certain species of insects can indeed contribute to food security and represent an Introduction interesting alternative to conventional domestic animals. The population of especially India’s northeast is expected With an area of 83,743 km2 Arunachal Pradesh is the largest to continue to increase, which means that food security for the state in North-East India and home to numerous species of insects, inhabitants of the region becomes an increasingly important issue. a plethora of which, representing at least 12 orders, have been Having noticed that members of various traditional societies made identified as edible and as highly appreciated by members of the use of insects as food, [1] suggested that insects as an item in the local tribes [2,7]. In most cases, these insects are not consumed as human diet could ease the problem of global food shortages and a nutritional supplement or to ward off starvation but are esteemed Arunachal Pradesh is one of the regions of India where insects for their taste and often regarded as a -frequently not even very even today are still being valued as food [2]. Entomophagy, i.e. the cheap- delicacy. Analyses of the nutrient compositions of the consumption of insects by humans [3], has a long history and has locally highly regarded bug Aspongopus nepalensis [8], the weaver been reported from many parts of the world [4]. It is estimated by ant Oecophylla smaragdina and the termite Odontotermes sp. [9] [5] that even today worldwide there may still be 2 billion people have demonstrated that such insect species are of value as a source that at least occasionally choose to eat some of the approximately of essential amino and fatty acids, minerals and vitamins. Some 2,000 known species of edible insects [6]. Taking into consideration of the most popular edible insects not only in Arunachal Pradesh, that many insect species are multivoltine and have a high fecundity, but worldwide, are members of the order Orthoptera and [10] in exhibit efficient feed conversion characteristics, possess low space their thorough review, covering edible members of the families 1 Volume 3; Issue 04 Food Nutr J, an open access journal ISSN: 2575-7091 Citation: Chakravorty J, Gogoi M, Jugli S, Boria M (2018) Ducetia japonica and Phyllozelus Sp.: Two Tettigoniid Species of Orthopteran Insects Appreciated by Tribal People of Arunachal Pradesh (North-East India) May Serve as Future Alternative Food Source. Food Nutr J 3: 180. DOI: 10.29011/2575-7091.100080 Acrididae, Pyrgomorphidae, Tettigoniidae and Romaleidae, crude protein, lipid, ash and fibre from the total dry matter and provide a wealth of comparative data on the nutrient contents reported as NFE by difference or as nitrogen free extracts. Crude of these insects. The acridid grasshopper Chondracris rosea and fibre was determined through double digestions, first with sulphuric the gryllid cricket Brachytrupes orientalis are two orthopterans acid and then with sodium hydroxide. The ash content was appreciated by Arunachal Pradesh tribals belonging to the Adi, determined by combusting the insect sample in silica crucibles in a Apatani, Chakma, Deori, Galo, Nyishi, Singpho and Wancho and muffle furnace at 620°C for 3 hours. The calorific value (kcal/100 their nutrient contents have been published [11]. Two additional g) was calculated by multiplying the factors for carbohydrate and Orthopteran species, the tettigoniids Ducetia japonica and protein by 4 each and that of fat by 9 and then taking the sum of Phyllozelus sp, are equally appreciated, but have not yet had their the products. All of the analyses were performed in triplicate and chemical compositions analyzed, it is for this reason that the present expressed as mean ± standard deviation. study focuses on these two species, hoping that nutritious products Micronutrients based on these insects may be promoted in the future among the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh and elsewhere in India as food or Fatty Acids feed or even a source of bioactive medicinal compounds [12]. The methyl ester of the fat of the insect sample was prepared Materials and Method according to [15]. The fatty acid composition of the methyl ester was determined by Gas-Liquid Chromatography (GLC) according Specimen Acquisition and Sample Preparation to [16] and based on three samples of 30g dry weight each. Both Ducetia japonica and Phyllozelus sp. were collected Amino acid from a variety of places around campus, e.g. rice and sugarcane fields, forests, fruit orchards and hills, trees, shrubs, herbs and Amino acid composition was determined by HPLC (Agilent 1100) according to the standard method recommended by the [13]. grasses. Sampling occurred throughout the year for two consecutive ° years, 2013 to 2015. Only adult insects were collected. The sexes The ground samples were hydrolyzed in 6 N HCl for 18h at 120 C were not separated, because firstly, no taboo had been reported under nitrogen atmosphere and then concentrated. The concentrated regarding the sex of the selected insects, secondly male and female samples were reconstituted with 20 mM HCl and derivatized with specimens differed little in size and coloration and thirdly, both borate buffer. The hydrolyzed samples were analyzed for amino were equally appreciated as food. acid composition. All the analyses were performed in triplicate and expressed as a percentage of individual amino acid in the protein Sample Preparation (i.e. total amino acids) fraction. Amino acid scores were calculated based on the recommendations by [17]. In the laboratory, the insects were washed thoroughly, blotted and then oven-dried (50-60°C). Ground to a powder, they were Minerals then stored in deep-freeze (-20°C) under vacuum for proximate, Minerals were determined by Atomic Absorption amino acid, mineral, and fatty acid analyses. The analyses were Spectrophotometry (AAS) after dry-ashing the samples followed carried out in triplicate and completed within ten days following by acid dilution [13]. The ash was digested with HCl made up to the collection of the insects. All of the solvents and chemicals used 100 ml and filtered before the mineral elements were determined by in this study were of analytical grade and care was taken that the AAS. All the analyses were performed in triplicate and expressed glassware was meticulously clean. as mean ± standard deviation. Analyses Results and Discussions Macronutrients Moisture: (Table1) Proximate analyses of the insect samples to determine moisture content, crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre, ash and The moisture content of both species (58.48% in Ducetia Nitrogen Free Extract (NFE), were based on standard methods japonica and 57.78% in Phyllozelus sp.) was found to be rather [13]. Moisture percentage was calculated by drying the sample similar to that of beef (USDA database), but somewhat higher than in an oven at 100°C for 2 h. Crude protein was determined by that known from the orthopteran Chondacris rosea [11] and lower the Kjeldahl method and total protein content was subsequently than that of the meadow grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus [18]. calculated by multiplying the nitrogen content by a factor of 6.25 Moisture content of a food item