A Review on edible Insects diversity, abundance, and conservation

Abstract

Insects are the most varied category of creatures, with one million species accounting for 80% of all species on the planet. The practice of eating insects is called entomophagy. Edible insects are consumed and many species serve as good sources of nutrients all over the world. Over 2000 species of insects are consumed around different regions of the world. Coleoptera order consists of the major number of edible insects used as feed in the world followed by Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Isoptera, Odonata, Diptera, and other orders. These insect species also contain significant amounts of nutrients such as protein, fat, minerals, fiber, ash, amino acids, and others. Despite their potential as alternative human feed, there is still an aversion to the acceptance of insects as food due to a lack of research and study related to this aspect. This paper assesses the diversity and abundance of edible insects around different parts of the world, the nutritive values of these insects, and their conservation. This study is based on recent data available from different sources and literature.