Insects as Sustainable Food Ingredients: Production, Processing and Food Applications describes how insects can be mass produced and incorporated into our food supply at an industrial and cost-effective scale, providing valuable guidance on how to build the insect-based agriculture and the food and biomaterial industry. Editor Aaron Dossey, a pioneer in the processing of insects for human consumption, brings together a team of international experts who effectively summarize the current state-of-the-art, providing helpful recommendations on which readers can build companies, products, and research programs.
Researchers, entrepreneurs, farmers, policymakers, and anyone interested in insect mass production and the industrial use of insects will benefit from the content in this comprehensive reference. The book contains all the information a basic practitioner in the field needs, making this a useful resource for those writing a grant, a research or review article, a press article, or news clip, or for those deciding how to enter the world of insect based food ingredients.
- Details the current state and future direction of insects as a sustainable source of protein, food, feed, medicine, and other useful biomaterials
- Provides valuable guidance that is useful to anyone interested in utilizing insects as food ingredients
- Presents insects as an alternative protein/nutrient source that is ideal for food companies, nutritionists, entomologists, food entrepreneurs, and athletes, etc.
- Summarizes the current state-of-the-art, providing helpful recommendations on building companies, products, and research programs
- Ideal reference for researchers, entrepreneurs, farmers, policymakers, and anyone interested in insect mass production and the industrial use of insects
- Outlines the challenges and opportunities within this emerging industry
Dr. Aaron Dossey holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Cum Laude with minors in Mathematics and Chemistry, is a professional self-taught Entomologist, Founding President of All Things Bugs LLC and inventor of GrioproTM cricket powder (www.cricketpowder.com). He has served as a postdoctoral associate at the
University of Florida and as a Research Entomologist with the USDA. His research involves developing
technologies derived from insects and other invertebrates, with award winning research publications
in the fields of entomology and chemistry.
Dr. Dossey has research experience in the areas of: Molecular Biology, Food Science, Organic
Chemistry, Entomology, Insect rearing and husbandry, insect farming, Natural Products Chemistry,
natural product isolation and identification, Chemical Ecology, field biology, setting up a laboratory,
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. He has won over $750,000 in major research grants from the Bill and Melinda GatesFoundation, from the USDA developing insect farming and processing technologies as well as Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for malnourished children. He also participated in the 2012 UN FAO expert consultation on the potential for
insects to contribute to human food security. Since, he has invented and patented technology for
production of insect-based food ingredient products, and his company is already the world’s largest
in production and selling these products.
Dr. Dossey is a frequent speaker at food science, nutrition, sustainability, and insect related
conferences and is sought out for his unique expertise on this emerging industry. You can read more about Dr. Dossey's biography at: www.cricketpowder.com/about-us/
Dr. Morales’ main expertise is in mass production of arthropods, insect nutritional ecology and the
development of rearing methods and mechanization of rearing processes for beneficial arthropods.
Between 1992 and 1998, he developed mass propagation technology for the boll weevil parasitoid
Catolaccus grandis. This research earned him the USDA-ARS scientist of the year award in 2002.
During 1998 and 2004 he developed termite and ant baiting systems. This research earned him the
USDA-ARS technology transfer award and the Federal Laboratory Consortium regional excellence in
technology transfer award in 2004. Since 2004, he has developed novel rearing methods for
predatory mites and other beneficial arthropods. This included new technology for separation of
mealworm sizes for infection with entomopathogenic nematodes, novel methods for mass producing
Tenebrio molitor, mechanized methods to pack T. molitor cadavers infected with nematodes, and
mechanized methods for infecting T. molitor larvae with entomopathogenic nematodes. The work on
the in-vivo production of entomopathogenic nematodes using T. molitor earn him the National
Federal laboratory Consortium award of excellence in technology transfer in 2013. Dr. Morales-
Ramos has produced a total of 104 publications and 12 patents; his is currently the project leader of
the project titled “Mass Production of Biological Control Agents”. Dr. Morales-Ramos recently edited
the book titled “Mass production of Beneficial Organisms” published in January 2014 by Elsevier.
Dr. Rojas’ main expertise is in insect nutrition, nutritional ecology and the development of artificial
diets for biological control agents and bait matrixes to control termites and ants. Between 1993 to
1998 she developed an artificial diet for the boll weevil parasitoid Catolaccus grandis. Between 1998
and 2004, she developed bait matrices for control of the Formosan subterranean termite and
household ants, both of which were successfully commercialized by Ensystex and FMC, and still are
sold world-wide. This work earned her the USDA-ARS technology transfer award and the Federal
Laboratory Consortium regional excellence in technology transfer award in 2004. Since 2004, she has
developed artificial diets for predatory mites and other insect predators and improved susceptibility
of Tenebrio molitor to entomopathogenic nematodes. The work on the in-vivo production of
entomopathogenic nematodes using T. molitor earned her the National Federal laboratory Consortium award of excellence in technology transfer in 2013. Dr. Rojas has produced a total of 99 publications and holds 12 patents, her current responsibilities include principal scientist on 3 different research agreements with 3 different companies including Syngenta Bioline, Kopert, and Monsanto. ”. Dr. Rojas recently co-edited the book titled “Mass production of Beneficial Organisms” published in January 2014 by Elsevier.
