The microbiota of marketed processed edible insects as revealed by high-throughput sequencing.

The microbiota of marketed processed edible insects as revealed by high-throughput sequencing. Food Microbiol. 2017 Apr;62:15-22 Authors: Garofalo C, Osimani A, Milanović V, Taccari M, Cardinali F, Aquilanti L, Riolo P, Ruschioni S, Isidoro N, Clementi F Abstract Entomophagy has been linked to nutritional, economic, social and ecological benefits. However, scientific studies on the potential safety risks in eating edible insects need to be carried out for legislators, markets and consumers. In this context, the microbiota of edible insects deserves to be deeply investigated. The aim of this study was to elucidate the microbial species occurring in some processed marketed edible insects, namely powdered small crickets, whole dried small crickets (Acheta domesticus), whole dried locusts (Locusta migratoria), and whole dried mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor), through culture-dependent (classical microbiological analyses) and -independent methods (pyrosequencing). A great bacterial diversity and variation among insects was seen. Relatively low counts of total mesophilic aerobes, Enterobacteriaceae, lactic acid bacteria, Clostridium perfringens spores, yeasts and moulds in all of the studied insect batches were found. Furthermore, the presence of several gut-associated bacteria, some of which may act as opportunistic pathogens in humans, were found through pyrosequencing. Food spoilage bacteria were also identified, as well as Spiroplas...
Source: Food Microbiology - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: Food Microbiol Source Type: research