Nutritional composition of African edible acridians

Abstract

The current inadequacy between the accelerated growth of the African population and the availability of nutrients has led us to study the nutritional composition of Acridian. This chapter reviews work on edible Acridians in Africa and assesses their nutritional value and potential impact on malnutrition in Africa. The results show that about 74 Acridians are eaten in Africa, amongst which the nutritional value of Zonocerus variegatus (Linnaeus, 1758), Kraussaria angulifera (Krauss, 1877), Acanthacris ruficornis citrina (Serville, 1839), Locusta migratoria (Linnaeus, 1758), Cyrtacanthacris aeruginosus unicolor (Stoll, 1813), Schistocerca gregaria (Forskål, 1775) and Anacridium melanorhodon (Walker, 1870) were studied. These Acridians have a high protein content with good levels of essential amino acids. They are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, minerals but poor in carbohydrates. Although their nutrients vary from one species to another, depending on the stages of development and the habitat, edible Acridians can play an important role in the fight against malnutrition in Africa, if they are well exploited.