Anthropo-entomophagy: quantitatively chemical assessment of some edible arthropods, bought from an e-shop

Eating edible arthropods is not associated with rural life anymore. The emerging industry of edible arthropods is trying to change that. The best shopping spot to buy well-known edible arthropods is online today. Consumers can find numerous outlet options to buy edible arthropods from the Internet. With worldwide growing threats to food security, today, gastronomy, especially in western countries, is trying to develop a more positive view to arthropods' nutritional value. In this paper, non-crustacean arthropods (armor tail scorpion, black scorpion, black ant, flying termites, giant waterbug, June beetle, diving beetles, rhino beetles, silkworm pupae, sago worm, bamboo worm), bought from online edible insect market, were evaluated in terms of availability of some hazardous chemical. Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) spectroscopy was used for determining the concentrations of heavy metals/metalloids in the total body of the arthropods. Concentration of the elements (Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Pb) were measured quantitatively in all samples. The results showed that the chemicals like Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, and Pb have highly been measured in the black scorpion, black ant, flying termites, giant waterbug, June beetle, sago worm, and bamboo worm.

Automated summary

Consuming edible arthropods is no longer limited to rural areas and has become an emerging industry. The gastronomy world, especially in western countries, is exploring the nutritional value of arthropods. Research indicates that black scorpions, black ants, flying termites, giant waterbugs, and June beetles have high concentrations of certain chemicals in their bodies.