Chapter 21: Sensory Profile and Consumer Acceptance of Edible Insects and Insect-based Foods

Edible insects represent a novel food source that is still not widely accepted by Western consumers. Psychological traits and other variables can predict the willingness to eat edible insects, but the sensory characteristics and appropriateness of these insects and insect-based foods remain critical for their widespread acceptance and adoption. This chapter provides an overview of the sensory profiles and consumer acceptance of edible insects and the food products incorporating them. Several factors determine the sensory properties of edible insects, such as species, feed type and cooking/processing methods. For example, steaming or boiling Tenebrio molitor (meal worm) imparts a corn aroma/flavour while roasting enhances seafood aroma/flavour. However some common sensory characteristics can be observed in derived products. For instance, three primary flavour notes – protein/meat, cereal/bread and old foods – can be distinguished in insect flours. Their incorporation as food ingredients generally leads to negative sensory evaluations, which can be particularly detrimental in the case of meat substitutes. This is due to their poor ability to mimic key sensory characteristics of meat and the negative flavour/odour attributes imparted by lipid oxidation of insect materials. In view of this, the use of defatted insect fractions or proteins as food ingredients is also discussed.