Lipidome of cricket species used as food

The variation in lipidome of house cricket, banded cricket, Jamaican field cricket and two-spotted cricket was studied using high-throughput screening techniques for fingerprinting (MALDI TOF MS, GC-MS and LC MS-MS) and well-stablished chromatographic techniques for quantification (HPLC-ELSD, GCFID). Although the four cricket species were reared in identical conditions, two-spotted & banded crickets had a lipid content 1.5 fold higher than house cricket. The lipids were high in UFA (>63%) and unsaturated TAG (>98%) making them liquid at room temperature, thus an oil. Cholesterol and several phytosterols were profiled finding high cholesterol concentration which is a point of concern. Eight phospholipid types (211 species) were identified with no major differences among cricket species. Using high-throughput screening techniques we demonstrate the complexity of cricket lipidome. Information on the lipidome of these crickets with high commercial value is important to estimate its nutritional value and their potential food applications.

Automated summary

The study analyzed the lipid composition differences among four species of crickets and found that two-spotted and banded crickets had higher lipid content than house crickets. The lipids in these crickets were high in UFA and unsaturated TAG, making them liquid at room temperature. High levels of cholesterol and various phytosterols were identified, raising concerns, while the phospholipid types showed no major differences among cricket species.