Efeito da desidratação e da congelação sobre a microbiota de insetos edíveis
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2019-12-03
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A Organização das Nações Unidas para a Alimentação e Agricultura (FAO) prevê que nos próximos 30 anos a população global atinja nove mil milhões de pessoas, levando a um aumento significativo de requisitos alimentares face aos níveis atuais. A forte pressão sobre recursos ambientais já limitados, aliada ao aumento do custo de produção e comercialização no setor alimentar, força a necessidade de se encontrarem fontes nutricionais alternativas. A entomofagia, uso de insetos como alimento humano, é uma prática altamente nutritiva e sustentável, uma vez que os insetos são ricos em proteínas e gorduras essenciais e a sua produção consome menos água e emite muito menos gases com efeito de estufa do que a maioria da produção agropecuária. No entanto, para que os insetos possam contribuir, num futuro próximo, para uma evolução mais ecológica, é necessário avaliar técnicas de processamento e conservação, provando para as diferentes espécies de insetos edíveis que esses métodos, assim como os produtos finais, são seguros para consumo humano. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo determinar a microbiota natural de Acheta domesticus, Tenebrio molitor e Zophobas morio e avaliar o efeito dos processos de congelação e desidratação sobre a mesma. De modo a avaliar o conhecimento e perceção do consumidor português em relação à entomofagia, foi realizado um inquérito online no qual participaram 419 consumidores do território português. A microbiota natural das três espécies de insetos revelou-se abundante. Os processos de congelação convencional e ultracongelação não obtiveram efeito letal sobre os microrganismos. O tratamento por liofilização apresentou igualmente contagens elevadas, mas, em contrapartida, a desidratação em estufa e em forno foram os tratamentos que se mostraram mais eficazes na redução da microbiota dos insetos. As 419 respostas recolhidas de consumidores portugueses indicaram que embora a maioria dos inquiridos já tivesse ouvido falar de entomofagia, o conhecimento sobre os potenciais benefícios nutritivos e ambientais dos insetos edíveis foi mediano. O consumidor revelou ainda uma baixa predisposição para a prática de consumir insetos ou alimentos que incluam insetos como ingrediente.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) forecasts an increase of the world’s population to nine billion people in the next 30 years, leading to a significant raise of feeding issues compared to the current levels. The strong pressure over the already limited environmental resources, combined with the increase of the production cost and marketing in the food sector, enhances the necessity of alternative nutritional sources. Entomophagy, the usage of insects as human food, it’s a highly nutritive and sustainable feeding practice, since the insects are highly rich on essential proteins and fats and its production consumes less water and emits less greenhouse gases than most of the actual farming practices. However, for the insects to be able to contribute, in a near future, for a more ecologic evolution, it’s necessary to evaluate techniques of processing and conservation, proving for the different species of edible insects with those methods, as well as final products, are safe for human consumption. The goal of this work was to determine the natural microbiota of Acheta domesticus, Tenebrio molitor and Zophobas morio and to evaluate the effect of the freezing and dehydration processes on the same. In order to evaluate the general knowledge and perception of the Portuguese consumer about the entomophagy, an online survey was conducted in which 419 Portuguese consumers participated. The natural microbiota of the three insect species proved to be abundant. The conventional freezing and deep freezing processes did not have a lethal effect on the microorganisms. The freeze-drying treatment also showed high counts but, in contrast, the laboratory oven and conventional oven dehydration were the treatments that showed to be more effective in reducing the insect microbiota. The 419 answers collected from Portuguese consumers indicated that although the majority of respondents had already heard about entomophagy, the knowledge about the potential nutritional and environmental benefits of edible insects was medium. The consumer also revealed a low predisposition to the practice of consuming insects or foods that include insects as an ingredient.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) forecasts an increase of the world’s population to nine billion people in the next 30 years, leading to a significant raise of feeding issues compared to the current levels. The strong pressure over the already limited environmental resources, combined with the increase of the production cost and marketing in the food sector, enhances the necessity of alternative nutritional sources. Entomophagy, the usage of insects as human food, it’s a highly nutritive and sustainable feeding practice, since the insects are highly rich on essential proteins and fats and its production consumes less water and emits less greenhouse gases than most of the actual farming practices. However, for the insects to be able to contribute, in a near future, for a more ecologic evolution, it’s necessary to evaluate techniques of processing and conservation, proving for the different species of edible insects with those methods, as well as final products, are safe for human consumption. The goal of this work was to determine the natural microbiota of Acheta domesticus, Tenebrio molitor and Zophobas morio and to evaluate the effect of the freezing and dehydration processes on the same. In order to evaluate the general knowledge and perception of the Portuguese consumer about the entomophagy, an online survey was conducted in which 419 Portuguese consumers participated. The natural microbiota of the three insect species proved to be abundant. The conventional freezing and deep freezing processes did not have a lethal effect on the microorganisms. The freeze-drying treatment also showed high counts but, in contrast, the laboratory oven and conventional oven dehydration were the treatments that showed to be more effective in reducing the insect microbiota. The 419 answers collected from Portuguese consumers indicated that although the majority of respondents had already heard about entomophagy, the knowledge about the potential nutritional and environmental benefits of edible insects was medium. The consumer also revealed a low predisposition to the practice of consuming insects or foods that include insects as an ingredient.
Descrição
Dissertação de Mestrado em Engenharia Alimentar
Palavras-chave
Entomofagia , microbiota