Team of Nigerian researchers has found what could be described as the ‘good’ in edible that may broaden the range of nutritional choices for most homes and raw materials for pharmaceutical purposes.
In a study published in the online edition of African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology February 2009, the team, from the Department of Biochemistry, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, extracted oils from four species of insects consumed mostly in the southern part of Nigeria and found that they have pharmaceutical potentials.
The study, authored by K. E. Ekpo, A. O. Onigbinde and I. O. Asia found that all the four insects produced a clear golden yellow or light yellow and odourless liquid with a low solidification value (10-14_C) and high iodine value, which is an indication of the degree of non-saturation of the insect oil. The insect oils under consideration were also observed to contain a high amount of unsaturated fatty acids (51.02, 62.12, 65.61 and 61.10 for MB, IBL, OR and RP respectively) which explains the liquid state of the oils at room temperature.
"Nutritionally, a high level of saturated fatty acids in food might be undesirable because of the association of saturated fatty acids with incidences of artheriosclerotic disorders," the team wrote, adding that the presence of essential fatty acids such as linoleic linolenic, and arachidonic acids further points to the nutritional value of these insects and larval oils.
They extracted oils and analysed fats from Rhynchophorus phoenicis also known as the African palm weevil, and Oryctes rhinoceros (Raphia palm beetle) larvae, which were obtained live from Ilushi (on the bank of River Niger) in Edo State, Nigeria. They also used Imbrasia belina larvae, obtained from Ogbomosho in Oyo State and Macrotermes bellicosus (winged termite) obtained during their nuptial flight at Ekpoma, Edo State. The various species of insects used were identified at the Entomology Department of Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Benin City, Nigeria.
"These values when compared with that observed in oils which have been considered to be of high quality and of much use in pharmaceutical industries suggest that these insect oils may have pharmaceutical potential," the team stated.
A break down of the study shows that that the level of non-saturation in these insects and larval oils is higher than that for palm oil and coconut, a situation the team says probably explains why they contained very high iodine number, low solidification values and liquid nature of the oils at room temperature.
Oils from the larvae of raphia palm beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros) recorded the highest level of non-saturation of 65.61percent while the winged termite had the least level non-saturation of 50.02 percent.
The team points out that some species of insects are eaten, as a delicacy in Nigeria, while some are used for traditional medical practice, yet there is very little information on their chemical composition.
"In order to be able to accurately evaluate the nutritional and pharmaceutical potential of these "delicacies," it is necessary to carry out detailed analyses of the insects concerned in order to determine their constituents," they wrote in their introduction.
The present study was undertaken to provide data on the lipid composition of four popular insects consumed in southern Nigeria as a pre-requisite for the subsequent evaluation of the pharmaceutical potentials of these insect oils.
All live insects and insect larvae used for the study were used within 12 hours of collection. Solvents and chemicals used in this study were mostly of the analytical reagent grade and were obtained from E. Merck (Darmstadt, West Germany), May and Baker (Dagenham, Essex, England), Sigma Chemicals Company (St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.).
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