Insect protein as beneficial as milk protein, find researchers
Researchers in Denmark say mealworm protein and milk protein have the same performance on digestion, absorption, and on the ability to stimulate muscle production.
Insects have attracted significant interest as an alternative source of dietary protein. Not only do they contain essential amino acids and trace minerals and vitamins, but insects have strong sustainability credentials.
Crickets, for example, are said to produce 11 times more food than cattle for the same amount of feed and 1,000 times less water. Mealworms produce at least 14 times fewer greenhouse gas emissions than cattle.
How insect protein – and in particular, mealworm protein – stands up against the ‘gold standard’ milk protein, however, has yet to be investigated. Researchers from Maastricht University in the Netherlands have sought to do just that.