The Insect on the Plate: the EU approves the Sale of Mealworms as Food However, UNISG in Pollenzo has been researching, teaching and experimenting with recipes on insect-based novel foods for years

©MartinaRonzoni

In recent days, the news regarding the approval of the regulation for marketing dried yellow Tenebrio molitor, known as mealworms, as food, by EU member countries, has caused quite a sensation in Italian and international media outlets.

However, for the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo, this is not a novelty, quite the contrary. Insects as a new frontier of nutrition and their nutritional value are a topic that has been known and studied for some time, in particular by Luisa Torri, associate professor of Food Science and Technology, director of the Sensory Analysis Laboratory and director of Research and UNISG Third Mission.

She explains: "Already in 2017, we had begun to collect data from consumers through sensory tests to investigate their attitude to the consumption of insects or foods containing insects as ingredients. In particular, we had tested products based on crickets and, through the thesis work of the then student Mattia Gianfranco Marino, we conducted an online survey among Italian consumers to evaluate their acceptability towards different insect species, including mealworms".

The results of these researches were disseminated and presented at international congresses and, finally, published in the article "Italian consumers' attitudes towards entomophagy: Influence of human factors and properties of insects and insect-based food", edited by Luisa Torri with Fabio Tuccillo and Mattia Gianfranco Marino, in the scientific journal "Food Research International" in August 2020.

The focus on new foods and their potential at UNISG is not exclusive to academic research, but it is also part of teaching.

"Sustainable Novel Food: Tradition, Production and Consumption" is, in fact, an optional course of the three-year degree course in Gastronomic Sciences and Cultures, held by professors Luisa Torri and Gabriele Volpato. The course program introduces the origin, biology, and definition of novel foods of animal origin (insects, jellyfish, etc.) and the culture and traditional gastronomic uses in different geographical areas of the world, farming technology, production, processing and nutritional aspects.

Alongside research and teaching, UNISG also works to disseminate and communicate on the subject of insects as a new food source.

Professor Luisa Torri states: "We have recently carried out dissemination activities in the second grade at come Italian secondary schools. In particular, we proposed practical exercises with insects (sensory tests and development of new recipes) to the students of the Colombatto Hotel Management Institute in Turin, thanks to the collaboration of chef Marco Parrinello ".

Furthermore, during the FAI Fondo Ambiente Italiano (The National Trust for Italy) Spring Days 2021, on May 15 and 16, the Savoy estate of the Pollenzo Agency will be one of the places that can be visited. On this occasion, visitors can participate in a workshop at the University's Sensory Analysis Laboratory under the guidance of Professor Luisa Torri, dedicated to the theme "Insects at the table? Sensory evaluation of potential sustainable food of the future"; an experiential and informative activity that involves evaluating insects of different species as potential new foods of the future, sustainable and rich in nutrients.

Watch TG3 special 'Crickets on the Plate' for insights into our Sensory Analysis Lab

©MartinaRonzoni