The objective of this study was to evaluate sensory perception and consumers’ attitude and liking of products with different textures, crisps and pâtés, with added mealworm ingredient in different amounts. By addition of mealworm ( Tenebrio molitor L. ) in the crisps, the brittleness increased. However, an increase in mealworm also increased the darkness. Adding mealworms to pâté reduced the odour and flavour of vegetable and increased the flavour of cinnamon and pepper as well as the oily texture. There was no significant difference in total liking between 10 and 30% addition of mealworm, nor between 0 and 10% addition, in any of the two products. The crisps received higher liking score than the pâtés. Thus, there is also a much higher probability that a customer would buy insect crisps than insect pâté. Environmental sustainability and sensory properties were shown to be the main reasons for buying foods with added insect ingredients.

Sustainable food with low environmental impact is of great importance. Insects are highly nutritious and has low effect on the environment. However, in western countries, insects as foods have a low acceptance. It is therefore of importance to process the insects into foods with familiar flavour and texture. To understand consumers’ perception, different types of common food products should be examined. Thus, in this study two widely different products are included, crisps and pâtés with added mealworm ingredient.

The aim of this study was to evaluate sensory perception and consumers’ attitude and liking of products with different textures, crisps and pâtés, with added mealworm ingredient.

Two types of products differing largely in texture properties were produced: crisps (crispy) and pâtés (soft). Three varieties of each product type were produced, containing mealworm flour in the amounts of 0%, 10% and 30%, respectively. 

Adding mealworms in the crisps increased brittleness and darkness. Adding mealworms to pâté increased flavours of cinnamon and pepper as well as oily texture. There was no significant difference in total liking between 10 and 30% addition of mealworm, nor between 0 and 10%, in any of the two products. The crisps received higher liking score than the pâtés. 85% of the consumers indicated their interest in buying food products based on insects. However, a large majority, 90%, were interested in buying crisps, while only 30% showed interest in buying the pâté. This clearly points out the importance of sensory aspects in liking and consideration of buying products with added mealworms. 

In conclusion: Mealworm ingredient could be used in products differing in textures, addition of mealworm had different impact on the sensory attributes in each of the product types. It was shown that environmental sustainability and sensory properties were the main reasons for buying foods with added insect ingredient.

Att äta insekter är egentligen inte något märkligt. I alla fall inte sett ur ett internationellt perspektiv. De flesta av världens olika kulturer har insekter i sin kost och det finns fler än 2000 ätbara insektsarter.

Tardigrades have long been recognized for their ability to survive the most extreme environmental conditions. In particular, the widespread ability of tardigrades to dehydrate and enter a state ofarrested metabolism (cryptobiosis) has allowed these aquatic animals to persist in habitats regularly deprived of water. The evolutionary strategy to allow metabolic arrest during periods of hostile conditionshas several advantages, including arrest of the biological clock and energy consumption, but since all cryptobiotic animal taxa have very small body size there must be physical or physiological constraints preventing this strategy to evolve in larger animals. Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cryptobiotic tardigrades has improved considerably over the last decade, much due to the genome and transcriptome sequencing of some species. Although we are still far from a comprehensive understanding of how tardigrades maintain cellular structure under complete dehydration, it is clear that multiple molecular mechanisms with carbohydrates and proteins are involved, and that different adaptive mechanisms have evolved within tardigrades. Based on their documented tolerances, tardigrades made their entrance into astrobiology with the FOTON-M3 mission in 2007, and were the first animals to survive a combined exposure to space vacuum, cosmic radiation and UV radiation. With their ancient adaptations for coping with environmental extremes, tardigrades are excellent animals for studies of how early metazoan life evolved, and for understanding the constraints of cryptobiotic adaptations. Most tardigrades do not fit within the traditional definition of extremophiles, but rather belong to the category of extremotolerant organisms, surviving extreme conditions but with optimal performance under more normal environmental conditions. However, tardigrades have been reported from some permanently extreme environments, such as deep sea and hot and radioactive springs, and more studies of these populations would be of great interest.

Despite the many papers reporting on disgust factors of eating insects in Western cultures, the interest of insects as food is increasing, not least because they are nutritious, sustainable and tasty! The time has come to take the next step by making insects available not only as delicious restaurant food, but also for industrial production of foods and meals based on insects. The sensory attributes are of greatest importance to increase understanding of insects as a main ingredient in production and shelf life.

By the use of factorial designs with mealworms as main ingredient, the aim was to evaluate the sensory impact of additions such as salt, oil/water and antioxidant agent. Also the impact of particle size of the mealworms was evaluated.

Cooked fresh mealworms cut or ground into different particle sizes, oil, water, salt and rosemary were blended according to a factorial design. The resulting products were evaluated by descriptive sensory analysis in addition to instrumental measurements of viscosity and colour. Nutritional contents were calculated. 

Results showed that particle size of the mealworms had a great impact, ie an increased particle size increased the yellowness and the perceived coarseness. Further, both viscosity and crispiness increased. An increased particle size also meant a decreased odour, probably due to decreased exposure of particle surface. Increased salt content did, as expected, increase saltiness. It also increased the nutty flavour, probably due to the polarity of Sodium Chloride. Different ratios of oil/water did not seem to impact the sensory properties. With reference to the anti-oxidative effects of carnosic acid and carnosol, addition of rosemary had a significant impact on shelf life in terms of decreased rancidity and colour changes. All samples were high in protein content.

All factors, but especially particle size of the mealworm fraction, influenced the sensory attributes.

Despite the many papers reporting on disgust factors of eating insects in Western cultures, the interest of insects as food is increasing, not least because they are nutritious, sustainable and tasty! The time has come to take the next step by making insects available not only as delicious restaurant food, but also for industrial production of foods and meals based on insects. The sensory attributes are of greatest importance to increase understanding of insects as a main ingredient in production and shelf life. 

By the use of factorial designs with mealworms as main ingredient, the aim was to evaluate the sensory impact of additions such as salt, oil/water and antioxidant agent. Also the impact of particle size of the mealworms was evaluated.

Cooked fresh mealworms cut or ground into different particle sizes, oil, water, salt and rosemary were blended according to a factorial design. The resulting products were evaluated by descriptive sensory analysis in addition to instrumental measurements of viscosity and colour. Nutritional contents were calculated. 

Results showed that particle size of the mealworms had a great impact, ie an increased particle size increased the yellowness and the perceived coarseness. Further, both viscosity and crispiness increased. An increased particle size also meant a decreased odour, probably due to decreased exposure of particle surface. Increased salt content did, as expected, increase saltiness. It also increased the nutty flavour, probably due to the polarity of Sodium Chloride. Different ratios of oil/water did not seem to impact the sensory properties. With reference to the anti-oxidative effects of carnosic acid and carnosol, addition of rosemary had a significant impact on shelf life in terms of decreased rancidity and colour changes. All samples were high in protein content.

All factors, but especially particle size of the mealworm fraction, influenced the sensory attributes.

Tardigrades represent a phylum of very small aquatic animals in which many species have evolved adaptations to survive under extreme environmental conditions, such as desiccation and freezing. Studies on several species have documented that tardigrades also belong to the most radiation-tolerant animals on Earth. This paper gives an overview of our current knowledge on radiation tolerance of tardigrades, with respect to dose-responses, developmental stages, and different radiation sources. The molecular mechanisms behind radiation tolerance in tardigrades are still largely unknown, but omics studies suggest that both mechanisms related to the avoidance of DNA damage and mechanisms of DNA repair are involved. The potential of tardigrades to provide knowledge of importance for medical sciences has long been recognized, but it is not until recently that more apparent evidence of such potential has appeared. Recent studies show that stress-related tardigrade genes may be transfected to human cells and provide increased tolerance to osmotic stress and ionizing radiation. With the recent sequencing of the tardigrade genome, more studies applying tardigrade omics to relevant aspects of human medicine are expected. In particular, the cancer research field has potential to learn from studies on tardigrades about molecular mechanisms evolved to maintain genome integrity.

En tidigare publicerad artikel i Nutritionsfakta har visat på hälso- och hållbarhetsfördelar med att äta insekter. Finns det då några hälsorisker med att äta insekter? När det gäller kemiska risker är dessa små, förutsatt att producenten har kontroll på fodrets tungmetallinnehåll. Bakterier och andra mikroorganismer behöver kontrolleras noga, men inga tydliga risker finns här heller. Personer med skaldjursallergier bör dock vara försiktiga med insekter. Generellt motsvarar riskerna de som gäller för andra animaliska livsmedel, och samma typ av kontrollprogram bör finnas. Dock behövs mer forskning inom området. Kött från nöt, svin och fjäderfä har studerats under lång tid; det är dags att låta forskningen kring insekter som mat börja ta igen det försprånget.

Concern for a diminished human experience of nature and subsequent decreased human well-being is addressed via a consideration of green infrastructure's potential to facilitate unplanned or incidental nature experience. Incidental nature experience is conceptualized and illustrated in order to consider this seldom addressed aspect of human interaction with nature in green infrastructure planning. Special attention has been paid to the ability of incidental nature experience to redirect attention from a primary activity toward an unplanned focus (in this case, nature phenomena). The value of such experience for human well-being is considered. The role of green infrastructure to provide the opportunity for incidental nature experience may serve as a nudge or guide toward meaningful interaction. These ideas are explored using examples of green infrastructure design in two Nordic municipalities: Kristianstad, Sweden, and Copenhagen, Denmark. The outcome of the case study analysis coupled with the review of literature is a set of sample recommendations for how green infrastructure can be designed to support a range of incidental nature experiences with the potential to support human well-being.