Processing and Industrialization of Edible Insects
The processing and industrialization of edible insects are provided by Jindi Agriculture: The industrialization of artificial breeding of edible insects is a prerequisite for large-scale factory production of insect food. Currently, edible insects that can be artificially bred on an industrial scale include bees, silkworms, houseflies, mealworms, ants, etc. The processing technology of insect products such as canned insects, insect protein (powder), and insect oral liquids has matured.
The processing of various high-protein nutritious foods using insects as raw materials first began in West Germany. After World War II, to solve the food shortage, West Germany started researching insect food, chemically treating domestic silkworms, stem borers, corn borers, etc., seasoning them to make canned food. Now, there are factories like the "Comfort Line" insect joint processing enterprise in Hamburg, with an annual output of 8,000 tons of finished products. France produces high-protein food by removing chitin from grasshoppers, mantises, ants, etc., and has established the "Poitevin" canned insect processing company. Japan and Europe and America have already entered the industrial stage in the processing of insect food, with extremely diverse product types. In the development and research of insect food in our country, due to the influence of traditional Chinese medical theory, more emphasis is placed on the pharmacological effects of insects. Health supplements produced mainly using bees, male silkworm moths, ants, etc., have seen unprecedented development in recent years. Honey products lead the way, royal jelly and various types of bee pollen are common in the market, selling well without decline. Second are ant products and various health products produced mainly using male silkworm moths. Only a few manufacturers in the country produce high-protein insect food using insects as raw materials. For example, Shandong Wenshang and Yutai have respectively built production lines for canned silkworm pupae and fried cicada canned food, with products mainly exported to Japan, the United States, and other countries.
1. Earthworms
Earthworms contain more than 60% protein, their total essential amino acids are 2.3 times that of fishmeal, and they also contain iron, zinc, and other trace elements, with overall nutritional value higher than imported fishmeal. In addition, earthworms also contain valuable components such as antimicrobial peptides, lectins, interferons, and chitin. The development and utilization of fly larvae have long attracted the attention of scientists worldwide. Since 1969, many countries such as the United States, the Soviet Union, Japan, West Germany, North Korea, Hungary, the United Kingdom, and Kenya have successively conducted research on breeding earthworms using poultry and livestock manure. Countries like the United States and South Korea have even established earthworm factories to develop earthworm protein as a necessary nutrient for humans and other animals. Currently, artificial earthworm farming not only produces high-protein earthworm powder but also produces and extracts various valuable products such as phospholipids, chitin, proteins, earthworm oil (fat), interferon, antimicrobial peptides, lectins, and allantoin. The application scope of products involves multiple fields such as food, agriculture, chemicals, medicine, and environmental protection, making earthworm farming a new type of animal husbandry.
In recent years, with the vigorous development of animal husbandry and farming in our country, the demand for poultry feed has been increasing. Currently, the source of animal protein for poultry feed in our country mainly relies on imported fishmeal (about 5,000-6,000 yuan per ton). Earthworms have high protein content, wide feed sources, short breeding cycles, simple technology, and low production costs. Earthworm powder can completely replace imported fishmeal. Therefore, vigorously developing earthworm farming will help solve the tight supply situation of animal protein in our country's feed industry, with broad market prospects.
2. Mealworms
Mealworms, also known as bread beetles or land shrimp, belong to the family Tenebrionidae in the order Coleoptera. Mealworms were originally warehouse pests distributed worldwide. Due to their high nutritional value, their dry body crude protein content is high (larvae at 51%, pupae at 57%, adults at 64%), and the larval surface is golden yellow, earning them the beautiful name of land shrimp and commonly appearing on dining tables. In recent years, with the development of animal husbandry, mealworms have gained popularity due to their easy breeding and wide feed sources, being used as feed for turtles, scorpions, ornamental birds, and fish, among other economic animals. Currently, almost all flower and bird markets in large, medium, and small cities sell mealworms, making mealworm farming a livelihood industry for residents in some areas.
3. Locusts
Humans have a long history of eating locusts. There are numerous species of locusts with wide distribution, making them one of the most common insects. To this day, many countries and regions around the world still retain the tradition and custom of eating locusts. In recent years, locusts have become delicacies in high-end restaurants in Japan, Thailand, France, and Shandong Province in China. Japan imports hundreds of tons of frozen rice locusts from China every year. In Thailand, fried locusts known as "fried flying shrimp" have become popular health foods favored by the local population. As an insect food resource, locusts also have advantages such as short growth cycles and high food conversion rates. Many species of locusts can be consumed by humans, with the most common being migratory locusts, negative locusts, and rice locusts. Among these, rice locusts have the highest nutritional value. Rice locusts are one of the main pests of rice crops in China and can also serve as a high-protein, low-fat animal protein resource.
4. Cicadas
Cicadas, also known as katydids, are the most common species during summer in China, widely distributed in southern, southwestern, eastern, northwestern, and northern China, and are pests of various trees. The dried exoskeleton shed during the molting of nymphs has medicinal properties, functioning to dispel wind heat, mainly treating symptoms such as cold-induced headaches, sore throat, hoarseness, tetanus, and wind rash itching. The nymphs before they emerge from the ground are rich in nutrients and delicious, widely consumed, and even processed into canned cicadas. Japan and the United States have previously imported large quantities from China for processing.
5. Bean Hawk Moth
Bean hawk moths are very widely distributed domestically and are pests of various crops and trees. However, in areas such as Jiangsu, Huabei, and Shandong, bean hawk moths are hailed as soybean ginseng and are commonly eaten, even used to entertain guests.
Jindi Agriculture offers wholesale earthworms; Daping No. 3 earthworm seeds; mealworms; mealworm seedlings, etc. When purchasing earthworm seeds and mealworm seedlings, free complete sets of technical data and DVDs for earthworm and mealworm farming are provided.
For more details, please visit the Jindi Agriculture website: http://www.jindinongye.com
Jindi Agriculture's affiliated websites: 5830 Agricultural URL Navigation: http://www.5830.com. China's most comprehensive agricultural URL navigation station, the preferred information platform for agricultural friends to get rich.