Entomophagy: A key to space agriculture

By N. Katayama, Y. Ishikawa, M. Takaoki, M. Yamashita, S. Nakayama, K. Kiguchi, R. Kok, H. Wada, J. Mitsuhashi. 2008

83 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Abstract The intentional inclusion of insects in space-based agricultural schemes and their use as human food (entomophagy) were examined. Insects could be useful both from an ecosystem design point of view, as well as serving as a protein-rich food for human occupants. Some candidate species are the silkworm, the hawkmoth, the drugstore beetle, and the termite. Plants in the ecosystem would include rice, soybean, sweet potato, and green–yellow vegetable but in combination they still lead to a diet that is deficient (for humans) in several nutrients. Normally these are supplied with animal-derived foods such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, etc. However, they can also be derived from insects which may be much easier to produce than any of the foregoing, and can also fulfill other useful ecological roles. Spinoff from this research could include some solutions to terrestrial problems such as supplying critical amino acids to people who suffer from a shortage of more conventional animal-derived proteins.

Subfields: Genetics, Insect Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/27ec5d48d6b9897837b79024487a7decde2d3d5c

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Genetics

In Insect Science

Citations in the corpus

Entomophagy and human food security (2011, background): “The aeronautical prospects being bright, insects should be considered as a nutritious food for astronauts and as a key to space agriculture (Katayama et al., 2008).”
Insect meal as renewable source of food for animal feeding: a review (2014, background): “Recent studies even mention insect development as a source of protein for human consumption for space missions (Katayama et al., 2008).”
Potential of insects as food and feed in assuring food security. (2013, background): “mori ), the termite Macrotermes subhyalinus, and the drugstore beetle (Stegobium paniceum) have been considered for space-based agricultural systems because they can recycle waste material (72).”
A Comprehensive Look at the Possibilities of Edible Insects as Food in Europe – a Review (2014, background): “In these areas, insects consumption is associated, by no means always, with a poor-man’s subsistence [Katayama et al., 2008a].”
Edible insects - Species suitable for entomophagy under condition of Czech Republic (2013, background): “These species are very well accepted worldwide and especially BM and TM play an important role in research works regarding the future of human nutrition – on Earth and in space (Katayama et al., 2008; Hu et al., 2010; Oonincx et al., 2010; Li et al., 2012).”