A six-legged dish
WFSC member Prof. Alexander Mathys and Dr. Christina Hartmann lend their expertise to a new Enorm magazine article featuring startups in the emerging edible insects market.
The new edition of Enorm (May/June 2017) introduces the backstory of Essento, the startup that provides the mealworm burger to Coop supermarkets in Switzerland. The feature also highlights other startups across the EU entering the insect market and tests several products.
Prof. Alexander Mathys, Sustainable Food Processing, lends insight into the protein quality and environmental benefits of consuming insects as compared to meat. Mathys stresses that we must look at the entire food value chain and achieve mass production in order to realize the most environmentally beneficial products.
Dr. Christina Hartmann, a postdoctoral researcher in the Consumer Behavior group of WFSC member Prof. Michael Siegrist, adds that a barrier to acceptance of insects as food is the “disgust” reflex in consumers. Hartmann contents this emotional response is learned, based on cultural associations.
Read the full article in Enorm magazine Download here (PDF, 2.3 MB).
Prof. Mathys's group at ETH Zurich uses Life Cycle Analysis, which uses quantities such as land, water, and feed use as well as greenhouse gas emission to quantify sustainability. Read the paper in Journal of Cleaner Production entitled “external page Sustainability of insect use for feed and food: Life Cycle Assessment” by Smetana, S., et al.
Dr. Hartmann’s research focuses on perception and acceptance of novel foods. Read the paper in Food Quality and Preference entitled “external page Effects of the degree of processing of insect ingredients in snacks on expected emotional experiences and willingness to eat” by Gmuer, A. et al.
