Scientists explore mealworm seasoning to simulate meat taste

Would you like to add some mealworm powder seasoning to your food?

It’s a question you’ll soon be hearing around the table, or at least that’s the hope of scientists at Wonkwang University in South Korea.

Researchers In Hee Cho and Hyeyoung Park presented a mealworm meat flavoring at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society, according to a press release released Wednesday. Their research, they say, is a response to the food demands of a growing world population and the looming climate crisis.

“The global food market continues to grow, but there is still a need to explore new food materials and/or develop new food products because food resources are gradually depleting,” Cho said at a press conference posted on the American Chemical Society’s YouTube account. .

The insects are “truly green and more efficient compared to typical livestock,” Cho said.

And they are a good source of protein.

Despite their ecological and nutritional benefits, mealworms still face a challenge that prevents them from easily finding their way to meals: the gross factor. Mealworms simply disgust customers, Cho said.

“Many consumers don’t like their physical appearance,” he told the press conference. “So most insects were used in crushed or powdered form as a food additive.”

Cho and Park’s research focused on the flavor possibilities associated with mealworm powder, exploring how different ways of cooking can produce different flavors that can make insects more attractive to eat.

Specifically, the researchers seasoned mealworms with amino acids, garlic powder, onion powder and mushroom powder and experimented with different cooking methods.

Ultimately, their goal was to perfect a “fleshy” flavor that would feel satisfying and familiar to consumers. People trying to reduce their meat intake can use a mealworm additive to satisfy their meat cravings, for example.

Heating the mealworms with sugar produced the most popular “fleshy” taste, as rated by volunteers who tested the different formulations. The scientists hope their work will “contribute to the commercial development of flavorful, meat-like flavors and condiments, and encourage the prepared food industry to include edible insects in their products.”

“Insect farming requires only a fraction of land, water and feed compared to traditional animal husbandry,” said Cho. “Edible insects are superfoods.”