Breeding insects in the home as food

Two Austrian business women have developed a device to breed protein-rich beetle larvae for food, bringing a revolution in the kitchen.

According to AFP, Katharina Unger, 25, and 28-year-old Julia Kaisinger, have developed the farming method.

"With this model, you can harvest 200-500 grams of larvae every week," Unger said in a tasting and fundraising session in Vienna on January 7.

"You freeze them, then process them into favorites like stir-frying, baking, making patties, or mixing them with pasta sauce," she said. The farming model is a machine like a small cabinet with 7 floors of drawers.

The home-grown insect breeding machine was developed by two Austrian business women.(Photo: AFP).

The machine uses the microcontroller, the egg will hatch into larvae, grow into an adult and then continue to spawn, laying eggs down to the bottom compartment waiting for harvest.

"Almost every day our group eats them," Unger said, presenting some of her creative dishes such as Greek-style salads with crispy grilled larvae, larvae of meatballs or even larval chocolate cakes.

Humans have long used larvae as food . Over thousands of years, they have become a popular food in many developing countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that insects are present in the traditional diet of at least 2 billion people worldwide, with 1,900 species used. In Europe, the Romans and Ancient Greeks used to eat cicadas. In some European cheeses such as the French mimolette or Shardinian's casu marzu also contain insects.

Many restaurants specializing in insect dishes also sprung up recently in some places in Europe and North America. The market also sells foods like salt crickets or scorpions. However for most Westerners, insects are pests, not nutritional foods.

This is a misconception, Unger said. Because insects are not only delicious, but they are also a richer source of protein than any other traditional livestock, and are a food that contributes to the growth of the population.

Two business women introduce dishes made of larvae and insects.(Photo: AFP).

According to Livin Farms - the company of Unger and Kaisinger, insects are a nutritious food, with a protein content of beef, high in vitamin B12 than eggs and rich in fiber than broccoli.

"Compared to beef, you only need to use 10% of the soil and 1/4 of the food to feed the equivalent larvae , " Unger said.

The company received 200 orders for insect production machines, each worth nearly $ 500. Kaisinger predicts in the future, most people will eat insects.

"In fact, people consume about half a kilogram of insects every year without knowing. They are present in many foods, from chocolate to orange juice," Kaisinger said.