Edible Insects – Exotic Food or Gastronomic Innovation? Study Involving 14 Countries

• Autor(es): de Pinho Ferreira Guiné, Raquel ; Elena Bartkiene ; Monica Tarcea ; Cristina Chuck-Hernández ; Ilija Djekic ; Marijana Matek Sarić ; Nada M. Boustani ; Malgorzata Korzeniowska ; Dace Klava ; Maria Papageorgiou ; José Maria Fresno Baro ; Maša Cernelic Bizjak ; Emel Damarli ; Florença, Sofia de Guiné e ; Costa, Cristina Amaro da ; Correia, Paula ; Ferreira, Manuela ; Cardoso, Ana Paula ; Margarida Campos, Sofia ; Anjos, Ofélia ; Ferreira, Vanessa
• Data: 2024
• Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.19/9406
• Origem: Repositório Científico do Instituto Politécnico de Viseu
• Assunto(s): Edible insects; culinary; exotic food; gastronomic usage; gourmet kitchen
• Tipo de Documento: Artigo científico
• Idioma: Inglês
• Contribuidor(es): Instituto Politécnico de Viseu

Descrição

This study explores the perceptions about edible insects and their usage in modern gastronomy. Data were collected through questionnaire survey in 14 countries, and 7222 responses were obtained. ANOVA and factor analysis were used, respectively to evaluate differences between groups and to analyze the scale items. The results showed that participants showed higher agreement toward insects being considered exotic foods and being associated with taboos and neophobia. Some sociodemographic factors (country, age class, education level and income) were proven to significantly influence with the perceptions. while sex and living environment did not. Factor analysis extracted three factors, one associated with the uses of insects in gastronomy, another associated with insects as foods and a third about insects not being proper for human consumption. In conclusion, the work revealed differences between countries in the perceptions about edible insects, and that these perceptions were also significantly influenced according to other sociodemographic variables.