Nutritional composition and safety aspects of Asian giant hornet, Vespa magnifica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae): commonly consumed edible insect in Manipur, North East India

Abstract

The Asian giant hornet, Vespa magnifica is an edible insect fondly eaten in larval and adult stage in maximum ethnic communities of the Northeast India especially in Manipur state. The nutritional and anti-nutritional aspects of V. magnifica revealed high protein (31.1%, 38.4%), fat (22.0%, 8.13%), carbohydrates (1.67%, 0.72%) and fibre (0.69%, 4.34%) content in both larval and adult stage respectively. The results exhibited that consumption of 100 gram of V. magnifica in larval and adult stage provided optimal amount of energy (329.1 and 229.7 kcal, respectively). Iron, potassium, calcium, sodium, and phosphorus are the most prevalent minerals found in the edible hymenopteran that can be used as supplementary food to human diets. The IC50% of adults (0.701 mg/ml) exhibited lower value than larvae (0.813 mg/ml) expressing its stronger antioxidant properties than larval hymenopteran. Low levels of anti-nutritional components such as phenol (38.7 and 30.3 mg/g) and tannin (50.0 and 24.5 mg/g) have established the insects’ non-toxic character when taken as part of a human diet. The insect is widely available in Manipur local markets but at a very high price and great demand. It has the potential to support economic upliftment, nutrition and food security along with sustainable impact on environment.